The words “hostile takeover” [FN1] were spoken at last week’s debate between nominees for IN Lt Gov. That Micah Beckwith spoke them is ironic: he is on the ticket of what was the “party of Lincoln,” but now is a cult of personality Lincoln would not recognize. [FN2] 1/10

We should fear Beckwith. Dr. Matthias Beier [FN3] delineates why “Beckwith is a poster child of a multifaceted national movement that does politics by literally demonizing their opponents.” [FN4] He describes key psychological features in the politics of demonizing. [FN5] 2/10

1) Whip up absolute fears by painting the proverbial glass not just half empty but full empty. The strategy is fighting fear by making others afraid and then playing savior.
Note: Beckwith’s memes carry this theme. 3/10

2) “Conflation of self with God. ‘God told me’ or ‘The Lord spoke to me’ are common phrases when self-proclaimed ‘godly’ leaders or ‘prophets’ claim w/absolute certainty” that opponents “are possessed by the devil and his demons.” 4/10

3) Collapsing of “the psychological into the physical”; one of the most dangerous features of demonizing. When the demonic is seen as having infested physical reality, a next step is to try to destroy evil by destroying the physical person/group thought to be possessed. 5/10

4) Splitting into absolute good & absolute evil. “As God’s voice on earth, those who demonize others claim to be on the side of absolute good fighting absolute evil.”
These “features become particularly dangerous when wedded to political power.” [Id] 6/10

Beckwith wants power. Beckwith isn’t bright, he lies about our history & The Constitution, and his chats w/”The Lord” would be comical, except no one challenges him. He is not “lead” on the ticket because he loses elections. That’s the same reason he won’t debate. 7/10

Footnotes:
FN1. “A takeover that is resisted by the corporation being acquired.” Black’s Law Dictionary, pocket ed., 1996, p. 613.
FN2. I prefer to refer to it as magaGOP.
FN3. Associate Prof. of Pastoral Theology & Mental Health Counseling, Christian Theological Seminary. 8/10

Footnotes:
FN4. “The Politics of Demonizing: A Violent Temptation,” Dr. Matthias Beier, Aug 13, 2024
https://open.substack.com/pub/matthiasbeier/p/the-politics-of-demon... 9/10

Footnotes:
FN5. Dr. Beier briefly sketches “just four key psychological features (there are more) that characterize the politics of demonizing. These features become particularly dangerous when wedded to political power.” Id. Read the full article as I quote here to fit. 10/10