Campaign 2024 Messaging: Jaw-jawing about Sheriff Roy Tillman

 This time an older thicker around the waist Jon Hamm transcends the tortured character of Don Draper from "Mad Men." The Roy Tillman he depicts in the 5th season of "Fargo" is a wife beater, right-wing patriot and, yes, the sheriff. Created by the iconic Coen Brothers, the saga is a dark comedy about current politics and the legal system. It's is streaming on Hulu.


 A scene even features calling in fellow patriots to defend the law, at least as it is exists according to Tillman. When Tillman winds up in prison and intends to file an appeal the wealthy power structure which helped put him there - Lorraine Lyon - brings up the futility of that: Through the conservative Federalist Society she is well-connected with the judges who would review that petition. 

Lorraine's daughter-in-law Dorothy had been abused in a forced marriage to Tillman when she was a teenager. Then she was called Nadine and Tillman's second wife. She had escaped to start a new life, Tillman recently had caught up with her and intends to kill her for freeing herself from his control. He had abused his first wife and is abusing his third. 

A brilliant Coen touch, when on the run from Tillman the stressed-out Dorothy has a compelling fantasy that the first wife Linda, after also escaping, created a refuge for other victims of domestic abuse. It is called Utopia. They carve wood into puppets to tell their story to the group. That brings healing and, as in baptism, they take a new name. That name is Linda. After she imagines she arrived there Dorothy also produces her puppet presentation. Only later does Dorothy find out that Linda did not get away. Tillman had killed her. He also feels entitled to murder whomever gets in the way of what he wants. 

Progressives campaigning during this election year can leverage excerpts from this series to mock the excesses of right-wing ideology. One wonders if major donors to the Democratic Party will have the creativity to do that. Yesyesyes, get permission to run political messaging with "Fargo" snippets. 

Among those deep pockets, which also have myriad kinds of influence (that is, big megaphones), are large law firms. According to Open Secrets, the top 5 are:

Kirkland & Ellis

Akin Gump

Paul, Weiss

Sullivan & Cromwell

Covington 

Of course, the elephant in the room on this is the what-to-do about the Joe Biden aging issue. It has reached the tipping point. Will Big Law parachute in to resolve that effectively by steering funding to another candidate such as Gavin Newsom?

The chatter is that Newsom is shaking loose funding from the new American royalty, that is the billionaires. Will the progressive law firms entertaining their clients at the Super Bowl in Vegas jaw-jaw with them about how their interests are at stake during this election year?

In most cases you have only one shot in communications. Jane Genova is a communications coach and content-creator. Complimentary consultation (please text 203-468-8579 or email janegenova374@gmail.com) 








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