Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan’s stop at a Youngstown, Ohio, soup kitchen for a weekend photo opportunity got the director of the homeless service boiling.
Ryan, according to various reports, stopped at the kitchen and dining room with his family after a rally at Youngstown State University.
The Wisconsin congressman, his wife and three kids put on aprons and, according to the press pool report, pretended to wash some pots – the dishes already had been cleaned – for the cameras.
Ryan, the press reported, recalled the calluses he had on his hands after one summer of washing dishes.
Brian J. Antal, president of the Mahoning County St. Vincent De Paul Society that operates the kitchen, complained to the Washington Post: “He did nothing. He just came in here to get his picture taken at the dining hall.”
Later Antal told TMZ.com that Ryan, who arrived after the meal was served and the hall emptied and cleaned, did rinse a few dishes.
He still complained that the campaign arrived without notice and barged into the kitchen without permission, a concern since such political activity could cause problems for a faith-based organization.
A Ryan spokesman said the stop provided an opportunity for the candidate and his family to show the importance of volunteerism and local charities.
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Clean dishes or not clean dishes?
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