The well-being of the political aides who spend day in and day out working on the campaign trail is likely a source of great angst, frustration and soul-searching for the troops.
Airstrikes, sniper fire, bombs, road blockages and even broken bathroom fixtures are likely being triggered when aides press a button on a campaign bus that routinely sends buzz and bleeps through the cagey communication system.
This clutter of sound and vibration, both along a bus’ and baroque hailstorm of new messages, is partially an unavoidable byproduct of modern campaign innovation and a source of entertainment to the cameras. Just ask the candidate’s children, who often play treasure hunt to announce political rallies that are decked out with floaty hats and Bentleys for free for donors.
But, have we become so intolerant of hearing those same bells and buzzes that we won’t let politicians and operatives go back to just operating under the radar when they’re not spinning for cameras?
Even if the trigger isn’t disruptive to the candidate’s messaging, frustration over the cycle of beeping is understandable. From candidate to photographer to earplug, someone appears to be whispering something in this echo chamber of buzzing buttons. Then when the buzzer continues to ping, aides are understandably annoyed.
Here’s how the Commission on Presidential Debates responds to the angry e-mails at the campaign trail:
There are no plans for any modifications to the commission rules, including the commission’s rules on audio, visual equipment and sound processing during the debates. You are encouraged to send e-mails directly to the commission. If you wish to send an e-mail to the speakers at each debate, please contact the national staff for those two debates at 202-379-4794 or fax 202-379-3838.
For those who like to complain, you can always try to get the earplug provider to fix the modern candidate’s snack attack, but in the age of technology, surely something like these earplugs would not make the debate more exciting?