And the sci-fi film Surrogates, out last month, imagines a future in which people prefer to stay at home and control avatars of themselves in the outside world.
Several of Ron Paul's children act as campaign "surrogates" doing media interviews on behalf of their father.
The party controls all Ohio's state-wide elected offices, from the governor downwards, as well as majorities in both houses in the state's legislature and on the state Supreme Court.This gives Mr Bush a formidable array of brand-name surrogates to translate his message into the Ohio vernacular, but he is also determined not to rest on his laurels.
On the other hand, Mr Bush has also been pummelled for far longer by Mr Kerry's surrogates.
He should also, through surrogates, have put innovation, as well as bargaining rights, at the heart of the debate, demonstrating the way that union power has been used to frustrate better working practices.But, in the long run, the Democrats have much more to lose in this battle than Mr Walker et al. Barack Obama has signalled his support for the protesters.
Mr Bush is not just using surrogates to savage his opponent, in the time-honoured fashion; he is doing the job himself, thereby summoning up the entire might of the presidential machine.
This is a briefing book for surrogates, and beyond them for the legions of "influencers" so prized by modern political campaigns: the amateur opinion-formers whose friends, colleagues and relatives listen to their political views, or follow them online.
The chapter was leaked early and Democratic officials and "surrogates" (campaign jargon for folk who can speak for a candidate) briefed on Benghazi talking-points by a former Obama spokesman, Tommy Vietor, and Mrs Clinton's press guru Philippe Reines.Still Mrs Clinton says she has not yet decided whether to run.
And speaking of credit indicators, Calculated Risk has a list of them to keep your eye on.John McCain's surrogates suggested over the weekend that he might unveil a big new economic plan today.
To test that idea, the researchers bathed cells in glucose and fats (chosen as surrogates for bad diet and lack of exercise for obvious reasons) and also in inflammation-producing proteins called cytokines.
In Britain, for example, paying surrogates is illegal, and an infertile couple cannot advertise to find one.
