It is hard to slash assistance for the poor without appearing barbarian, so photographs of a candidate doing humble work behind the scenes at private charities can be invaluable. According to Brian J. Antal, the president of an Ohio charity that feeds the homeless, Paul Ryan dropped by the center to have a photo staged of him washing a pot. Antal claims the candidate came by without permission, had his photo taken washing an already clean pot and then left.
“We’re a faith-based organization; we are apolitical because the majority of our funding is from private donations. It’s strictly in our bylaws not to do it. They showed up there and they did not have permission. They got one of the volunteers to open up the doors.”
The Romney campaign claims they had permission for the photo op, but antal disagrees, “The photo-op they did wasn’t even accurate. He did nothing. He just came in here to get his picture taken at the dining hall.”
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/report-charity-president-objects-to-paul-ryans-soup