# photo-op -- cleaning clean pans **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 15, 2012, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752 "2012-10-15T05:41:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/41 "2012-10-16T10:40:27Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Thank you. I took Bullshit as a second language in school. That’s not bullshit. That’s art. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/42 "2012-10-16T12:35:09Z")
> [@Nazarene](#): > > The GOP has been trying to sell him as some kind of fiscal whiz, and the media did not really challenge that before he was put on the ticket, but Biden made him look rather callow in the debate. I do wonder how he gets away with all this maker and taker bullshit. He’s never run a business and has worked in the public sector all but one year of his adult life. He much closer to being one of those leaches than a John Galt figure. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/43 "2012-10-16T12:48:00Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > There are enough poor people in the country, Mr. Ryan, that you could actual find real ones to help, and genuine dirty pots to scrub. That might result in actually encountering poor people, which would result in pictures of Ryan making his frowny face. Can’t take that chance. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/44 "2012-10-16T13:29:08Z")
I really have to learn to get over feeling embarrassed for people who are embarrassing themselves. It makes me cringe. Look at this freaking [video](http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50133186n), man. And, I don’t get all ruffled by a phony photo op…I assume everything is phony with politicians. But watching the actual video just makes me nearly pity Ryan. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/45 "2012-10-16T14:07:15Z")
There’s already an active thread on this subject in this forum. Reported for merge. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/46 "2012-10-16T14:08:09Z")
Merged two threads about this incident. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/47 "2012-10-16T14:32:38Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Don’t close them, privatize them and run them for profit. They’ll inevitably become leaner and more efficient, part of a great juggernaut of prosperity. > > Maybe we could call it, and I’m just throwing out ideas here, a “restaurant”. Nah, too French. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/48 "2012-10-16T14:36:58Z")
Jeb Bartlet would have walked out and refused to play to the cameras. ---
**Author:** ![Nazarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nazarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nazarene)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/49 "2012-10-16T14:43:09Z")
I know that a lot of these campaign things are stagey on both sides, and I’m sure Obama has done some stagey things too, but there’s such a sausage making quality to watching this video. You can _see_ it being staged. You can see that the pans are props and that there’s nobody there but Ryan staffers and Secret Service. Did he even pretend to wash more than two pans? There’s just such a lack of effort here. It’s so cursory, so cynical. They aren’t even _trying_ to look convincing. Like I said, I’m sure Obama has done some contrived things too, but I hope he hasn’t used some unwilling charity in this way. I’m sure that it’s normal for politicians to show up and serve three people at a soup kitchen for a photograph, but usually they at least are really serving three people (and hopefully getting permission first, and not causing potential damage to a non-political charity). This reminds me a little of when Bush was pretending to serve an ornamental turkey to the troops in Iraq. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/50 "2012-10-16T14:59:56Z")
> [@Nazarene](#): > > I’m pretty sure most of those places have industrial dishwashers anyway. I don’t think too many of them actually hand wash anymore. Industrial dishwashers are great for plates, bowls, utensils, etc. Pots and pans still have to be scrubbed by hand. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/51 "2012-10-16T15:10:07Z")
Good thing that pan was clean, he might have gotten something on himself. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/52 "2012-10-16T17:31:39Z")
In a weird way I think what is most disturbing about this is just how freaking lazy it is. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/53 "2012-10-16T18:13:07Z")
I like the running monolog he gives about how to clean a pan. Is that meant to be for his kids’ benefit? I also loved how he spent more time putting aprons on the kids so they could stand behind him for the photo op than he did actually washing the clean pans. As they say, fake it 'til they take it. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/54 "2012-10-16T18:19:14Z")
I hate Ryan just as much as the next guy but this just looks like a staff member screwed up. Ryan and his kids get dropped off at a back door and Paul has to make noise for the reporters for a while and I don’t think he did too bad considering he had nothing to work with. He seemed to know his way around a dishwasher station well enough. I think he should have reamed out the idiot who set this up. That would have made a great video. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/55 "2012-10-16T18:37:57Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > He seemed to know his way around a dishwasher station well enough. I’m sorry, but really? How clueless would you have to be to not comprehend a dishwasher station. Besides which, he’s using a scouring pad on a clean metal serving pan and appears to be wasting concentrated soap. He would have been much better served to not fake the washing, and spend the time appearing to care about the mission and operation of the facility. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/56 "2012-10-16T18:38:24Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > I really have to learn to get over feeling embarrassed for people who are embarrassing themselves. It makes me cringe. Look at this freaking [video](http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50133186n), man. > > And, I don’t get all ruffled by a phony photo op…I assume everything is phony with politicians. But watching the actual video just makes me nearly pity Ryan. Okay, I watched the video. It’s much better than a still picture. He’s touring a soup kitchen with his kids, showing how the kitchen works, etc. To be honest, that’s probably a lot more social studies than most American parents expose their kids to. I don’t think it’s very snark-worthy anymore. I hate it when that happens! ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/57 "2012-10-16T18:50:17Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > I’m sorry, but really? How clueless would you have to be to not comprehend a dishwasher station. Besides which, he’s using a scouring pad on a clean metal serving pan and appears to be wasting concentrated soap. > > He would have been much better served to not fake the washing, and spend the time appearing to care about the mission and operation of the facility. Well, picture George Bush in the same situation then. There would have soap everywhere and somebody would have been scalded when he tried to use the sprayer. Then he would have marveled at this great new technology. So his staff made sure he didn’t get in these situations. I say Ryan’s staff screwed up by putting him there in the first place. I agree he could have done a lot better than pretend cleaning but the video isn’t the scandal everyone is making it out to be. It’s just painfully awkward. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/58 "2012-10-16T19:08:08Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Okay, I watched the video. It’s much better than a still picture. He’s touring a soup kitchen with his kids, showing how the kitchen works, etc. To be honest, that’s probably a lot more social studies than most American parents expose their kids to. > > I don’t think it’s very snark-worthy anymore. > > I hate it when that happens! Just two months ago my family and a small group of coworkers cooked a meal and served it at a homeless shelter. Seeing a large empty kitchen and watching dad fake wash a pan is definitely snark worthy. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/59 "2012-10-16T19:17:22Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > He seemed to know his way around a dishwasher station well enough. Good thing it was attached to a long wall or he could have gotten lost. I think most 6 year old could pretty much master what Ryan accomplished. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752/60 "2012-10-16T20:40:01Z")
Was Ryan ever a dishwasher or busboy? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photo-op-cleaning-clean-pans/637752.md?page=4)