Why is Ted Cruz wearing an earpiece?

[brucefan]

Right now on CNN

[JaneyVee]

1. Koch Bros direct line.

[applegrove]

22. You beat me to it!

(Ya have to laugh or you'll cry)

[gopiscrap]

2. Being fed the answers because the fucker

can't think for himself

[BlueCaliDem]

4. + 1000 eom

[Tippy]

8. U got that right

[Scuba]

3. So he can hear what it is Jamie Dimon is telling him to say.

[NightWatcher]

5. He's getting his orders from the Canadian High Command

He's an infiltrator from Canuckistan sent here to cripple us before the elite RCMP ice skates down, overthrows us, and put a Tim Hortons on every corner.

[Cirque du So-What]

6. Hey, I like Tim Hortons!

so maybe the downside won't be so bad after all.

[Ikonoklast]

17. Wait until you get force-fed boiling-hot poutine.

You'll change your tune, those Canucks are vicious.

[TheCowsCameHome]

7. The other end is up his butt.

He always listens to assholes.

[Arkansas Granny]

9. +1

[onehandle]

10. Dunno if you are looking for a joke, but they are so they can receive directions from the director.

All of them have earpieces.

[brucefan]

13. Really?

I watch all the Sunday shows,and have never seen anyone,other than the host,wearing an earpiece.
And no I wasn't looking for a joke

[onehandle]

16. I don't know if they do it on all of them, but it's common on MSNBC.

When someone is rambling on, the producer or director will tell them, 'Ten seconds...'

[Goalie49009]

11. Taken right out of the Bu$h playbook nt

[Coyotl]

12. It's a Canadian Black Op to bring down the USA and replace

football with hockey

[Kelvin Mace]

14. Having appeared on TV a few times

the earpiece is so you can hear questions from people not in the studio and the segment producer. If they had an open speaker you would get feedback. I sat in a studio in Raleigh and was interviewed by a host in NYC. Without the earpiece I wouldn't hear the questions. It is also why you sometimes see a person pause when answering questions. The signal is bouncing via satellite and there can be a half second to a full second lag from when the person speaks and when you actually hear what is said.

Sorry to rain on anyone's conspiratorial parade, but it is completely mundane.

[C_U_L8R]

15. So he can listen to himself.

Smarmy-dude really loves the sound of his own voice, doesn't he?

[tsuki]

18. So Jim DeMint can whisper sweet nothings in his ear. nt

[Atman]

19. They all do this on every talking head show.

They producers tell them that time is almost up, or that they're going on too long, or that they need to wrap it up for a commercial. Nothing nefarious about it. The wire is usually flesh colored -- they even have darker colored ones for AA's -- and the tiny wire runs down the back of the neck to a small transmitter. It's very common.

[chillfactor]

20. he is getting...

step-by-step instructions from the Koch brothers

[demwing]

21. It's his Borg implant

pay no attention. Resistance is futile.

[Rex]

23. His wife at GS is piping in what he needs to say?

I doubt he passed Green Eggs and Ham by the board.

[PeteSelman]

24. Is he in studio or on satellite?

Usually only the host of a show has an earpiece so he can take direction from his executive producer. If a guest is appearing via satellite they'll have an earpiece so they can hear the host of the show.