Jezebel Spirits and Witches: Voters Beware
In a recent podcast, the candidate for Lt. Governor, Micah Beckwith said that Democratic candidates on the Indiana ballot have a “Jezebel spirit” and a “boldness for immorality”. Beckwith listed the democratic candidates’ commitment to reproductive choice, legal access to abortions and LGBTQ rights as prime examples of their sinfulness. He contrasted the Democrat’s immorality to the GOP’s commitment to “Godly boldness”. In the podcast, Beckwith and his colleague went on to say that democrats are concerned with control, which is associated with witchcraft, not unlike the evil Queen Jezebel whose story is told in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Disney images of wicked Queens and evil women. In Grimm’s fairy tales, archetypal wicked women were often depicted as evil stepmothers.
Did You Know:
White Christian Nationalists are reaching back to ancient mythological and archetypal symbols of evil women to demonize women candidates, especially black women. As early as July 22nd, just one day after President Biden stepped aside for Kamala Harris to be the presumptive nominee, White Christian nationalist Lance Wallnau referred to Harris as embodying the Jezebel spirit on his podcast, Right Wing Watch. He went on to say that Kamala Harris was even more dangerous and evil than Hillary Clinton because Harris brings a “racial and younger” dimension to the Democratic ticket. Demonizing strong women as “Jezebels” is steeped in the patriarchal values of misogyny and racism and is a common slur that helps society keep women in their ‘rightful place’.
When Micah Beckwith calls women Jezebels and witches, he is talking about any woman in Indiana who does not fit his mold of morality. His extremism made national attention when he announced at a fundraiser earlier this month that would fire staff members with pronouns in their email signatures. He insists that having pronouns in your signature line indicates that you are aligned with the ‘deep state’ and have a ‘far-left value system’.
Beckwith has never held an elected office higher than serving on a library board. He is a charismatic youth pastor of an ultra-conservative fundamentalist church. He is a self-proclaimed White Christian Nationalist who believes that the insurrection on the nation’s capital was divinely inspired. His congregants believe that the MAGA faction of delegates who nominated him to be the Lt. Governor was an act of providence.
As Lt. Governor Beckwith would oversee the Family of Business Agencies which includes the State Department of Agriculture, Indiana Office of Community & Rural Affairs, Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority and Indiana Office of Tourism. He would also serve as the President of the Senate where he could influence legislation. He is determined to have significant influence on state politics and he would have the authority in these agencies to do so. If elected, he would be a heartbeat away from a 70-year-old Governor.
Why It Matters:
In the year 2024, Indiana’s GOP candidates at the top of the ballot consider capable, strong, independent women candidates as witches and Jezebels. Mike Braun has not condemned this reference, and the media is giving it scant attention. If Mike Braun, Micah Beckwith, Todd Rokita, Jim Banks and other candidates aligned with or apologetic to White Christian Nationalism are elected, their bold ideas of “Godliness” will be enforced through policy, litigation, and legislation. Their influence would have far reaching impact in every aspect of our daily lives: from economic policies, environmental protections, public education (Ten Commandments displayed in every classroom, chaplains as guidance counselors, censoring teachers, influencing curricula, expanding vouchers ), healthcare (criminalizing certain gynecological procedures, maternity care deserts, loss of qualified OB/GYN physicians), tourism and hospitality industry, and unrelenting vicious assaults on our civil rights.
The MAGA extremists in Indiana know that Jennifer McCormick, Destiny Wells and the litany of strong democratic candidates on the ballot have the public’s attention. The gubernatorial race gained national attention when Sabato's Crystal Ball rating recently moved the needle from ‘Safe Republican’ to ‘Leans Republican’. In campaign ads, Braun resorts to using AI altered images of McCormick saying she is taking away gas stoves (a lie) and Beckwith invokes evil spirits. Their fear mongering will work with some voters.
The ancient patriarchal and misogynist stereotype of women as witches and harlots is breathtakingly dangerous. It has a dark, sordid and cruel history. Believe these candidates when they say that they think strong, capable, intelligent, powerful women are evil and to be feared. Who will be their next witch, Jezebel or purveyor of immorality? Could it be you or someone you love?
What You Can Do:
H4D published our GOTV newsletter last week with the following voter information. We are repeating much of that information below. There is a lot at stake in this election and our vote is our voice. We must let our voices be heard in 2024.
Vote early and ask people you know to also vote early. This will help build momentum and allow candidates to focus on connecting with potential voters who are more likely to be uncommitted, uninformed or disengaged.
H4D has prepared early voting county maps for 11 counties (including Allen, Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Lake, Porter, Marion, St. Joseph, Tippecanoe) that serve as a single, user-friendly reference for early voting locations, dates, and times. Click this link to access English and Spanish versions of the maps. Early voting is an essential GOTV tool. Share these maps with family and friends, campaign volunteer networks, university and high school GOTV contacts, libraries, local businesses, etc., to help turn out the vote in this crucial election.
Vote the full ballot and encourage others to do so! Don’t be a ballot roll-off voter! Do your homework ahead of time so you will know who is on the ballot, including the down ballot options for retaining judges, local school boards and other municipal seats. For information about who and what are on your ballot, see Vote 411 by the League of Women Voters and/or MADVoters’ Ballot Buddy.
Three of our Indiana Supreme Court Justices are on the ballot for retention. There has been a lot of conversation about their ruling to uphold the abortion ban our extremist legislators voted into law. Ruling on legal standing is not the same as making a statement about the law. Be an informed voter and make judicious judgements. See The Indiana Retention Vote essay by Sheila Suess Kennedy for more information about this issue. Sheila Kennedy is a professor emeritus of law and public policy at Indiana University Indianapolis.
Two Judges of the Indiana Court of Appeals are also on the ballot for retention. See retention for information about all the judges and justices on the ballot.
There is a Constitutional Amendment on the ballot about the succession of leadership for the Governor if something happens that she/he is no longer capable of governing. For an important explanation about this amendment, see Indiana State Constitutional Amendment. Many thanks to Indiana Capital Chronicle for this information.
Be a relational outreach joyful warrior and commit to talking to friends, neighbors, and colleagues about this election. Here are some wonderful resources to help you do this!
Take 10 minutes to watch this short explanation on relational organizing and sign up to rally your squad developed by Red, Wine & Blue (RWB). It’s simple, effective and FUN! Once you are on the page, just scroll down and you will see the video on the left side of your screen.
Grab your popcorn and a couple of friends for a movie night with Sally Field. Sally Field joins Red, Wine & Blue founder Katie Paris to talk about GOTV with thousands of viewers joining the zoom call. The video is about 45 minutes and will bring a smile to your face.
Download this RWB Rally Your Squad PDF Toolkit that gives great information and tons of resources to get you started. (Can you tell that the H4D team thinks that relational organizing/relational outreach is a political game changer?)
When you are ‘rallying your squad’ to get them to the polls, talk to them about what you are concerned about in this election. Share with them this fun and informative video on Project 2025.
In his first speech in the Senate, Reverend Raphael Warnock, a Democratic Senator from Georgia and pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church said that “a vote is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and our children, and our prayers are stronger when we pray together.” He went on to say:
“As a man of faith, I believe that democracy is the political enactment of a spiritual idea — the sacred worth of all human beings, the notion that we all have within us a spark of the divine and a right to participate in the shaping of our destiny.”
Together, let’s shape our destiny and vote for strong, capable, intelligent, qualified candidates regardless of race or gender.
Joyfully yours in democracy,
Debbie, Rachel, Barbara and Kathy
Notes:
For a theological explanation of Jezebel Spirit see https://www.christianitytoday.com/2024/09/jezebel-spirit-empowering-sin-russell-moore/
For more information about Micah Beckwith comparing women candidates as Jezebels see https://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/10/02/why-micah-beckwith-comparing-indiana-democrats-to-jezebel-spirit-matters/75469840007/
For more information about racism and stereotypes of black women as wicked women, see https://jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu/jezebel/index.htm
For more information about Micah Beckwith’s comments on firing state employees who use pronounce in email signatures, see The Hill and Advocate