The Voice

When I was in college, I was one of a handful of people who put together that particular season, the annual yearbook. Now what made this particular year unique was that the original staff quit in droves because they were in disagreement with the yearbook editor. To be honest, I do not know if it was a legitimate reason but I do recall that there was a budget and it was perhaps nowhere near where it needed to be to put together a collegiate yearbook. We were a state funded university and a minority university at that and funding yearbooks weren't up there in priorities to say the least. The other thing that I do recall is that the yearbook editor had a voice that was just gratingly annoying.

He would speak in such a manner that it would irritate your inner ear canal to the point where you felt like ripping off your ear.  I don't think he ever knew that.  I bring this up because there are presidential candidates that meet these same qualifications that you just don't want them to speak at all. For 2016 on the Democratic side, we have Former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders. On the Republican side we have Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich. Let's analyze their voices for a moment, shall we.

Bernie Sanders: Here is a voice that is regional to the upper east coast region. His New York based accent and Jewish heritage makes his tonal range in the alto spectrum of voices. In this range, it is not too high nor too low that you won't mind him giving a lecture for no more than twenty minutes. After that, he begins to drone on as the range begins to fall into the monotone region. It would be advisable for him to make his point early and then get out or at least start taking questions to reset the listeners ears for another round but then when he restarts, his answers should be no longer than two minutes. Grade - B

Hillary Clinton: Hillary has the unfortunate path of being in politics for far too long. We have heard her speak on a variety of topics ever since she made the national scene when she and Bill Clinton went to the White House in 1992. That's 24 years of being in the national public eye. We first heard more of her during the Whitewater investigation where she spoke of her and Bill's alleged involvement in the scandal. Her response of “would of, should of could of” was a touch of her being flippant with the questioners but it also established her tone for the duration of her being in the public eye. She too is in the alto spectrum. But here is a voice that is also irritating. A British study came out last year that stated that women's voices are irritating to the male ear drum after a few minutes. It went on to say that the males somehow stop listening and zone out for a period of time. Hillary's voice is why we reach for the remote control to hit the mute button. What dies it say for her candidacy if she wins? Would she just fill up her cabinet with women because of what the study revealed? Should she keep executive orders and press conferences to a minimum because men biologically will stop listening to her? It's not like it's the guy's fault, it's self-preservation. Grade - D

Ted Cruz: Cruz has this decidedly southern twang to his dialect. He is in the low tenor range. And here is the reason why the mute button on your remote control was invented in the first place. He has this grating voice that is so unpleasant that it's like he's chewing on broken glass while gargling sand. His voice is so grating that it's like he's turned the starter ignition switch to a car too far and he's stripping the gears to the transmission when he shifts gears. His voice is so grating that is sounds like a microphone feedback mixed in with nails scraping on a chalkboard. You just don't want to see this guy even attempt to parse his lips as you press the mute button. Grade – F

Donald Trump: His voice is a mid alto range voice with a New York pitch. Overall, Donald's voice, taking as a whole, is a pleasant voice. The downside is that what comes out of it is always froth with controversy. When he is not sporting controversy, the voice is pleasant and calming to a certain degree. You listen to that range with full intensity. It changes however, when he shifts into a blowhard spouting off about pole numbers, his business interest, his book deals, etc. On voice alone, his numbers would be fine but the content that comes from it places it lower. If only the messenger wasn't so steadfastly stubborn with substance. Grade – C

John Kasich: His voice is also in the alto spectrum. His has more of an even tempo cadence to his speaking. You could almost march along to it, if need be. You could listen to Kasich speak well past the twenty minute mark because he takes his time is speaking and it appears as if he's listening to what he is saying and is choreographing every word that comes out of his mouth for the most effective punch for the ears. He has a confidence with his voice. You could hear it if he choose to do voice over work if he opted for a career in doing commercials or documentaries. If we were electing on voices, the winner would be John Kasich. Grade - A