I really don't see the big deal. Try planning something that big and having to coordinate all the little things. Then, at the climactic moment, you have to have all this stuff come togeher and it starts to unravel (a little). Yeah, it's only balloons and confetti. But you don't take a half-assed attitude when your entire party and the entire US media is watching.
Evidently the balloons wouldn't drop on the Carter convention in 1980 and it became a metaphor for the entire presidency. He couldn't free the baloons, no wonder he couldn't free the hostages.
The dems wanted to make sure the balloons dropped perfectly and were frantic at that image from Carter being repeated.
I'd say we owe CNN a big thank you.