If you want to know what an empty, meaningless political photo opportunity is look at Congressman Paul Ryan’s drop by at a food bank last week in Youngstown, Ohio.

By the time Ryan arrived at the charity it was almost empty. Reportedly everyone that was there had been served and eaten. Most of the volunteers were gone. But you’d never know it from looking at the picture of Ryan earnestly washing a pan in the kitchen.

The real kicker: it was a clean pan!

That’s right, Paul Ryan is your man to roll up his shirt sleeves and take credit for someone else’s work.

Even at a faith based charity, Paul Ryan does not want to damage his manicured hands doing real work. He will just pick up a clean pan and wash it for the cameras and move on.

Even if your non-partisan faith-based charity has no interest in politicians from either party making politics of their work, like this one, Ryan will force his way in anyway.

Of course Paul Ryan has had problems with faith-based charities in the past.

A group of Nuns that provide the services that Ryan seeks to cut organized Nuns on the Bus this summer to protest Ryan’s policy’s.

Here is a simple piece of advice for Paul Ryan: stop trying to convince people you are a charitable guy. You are the enemy of charity.

First, you and Mitt Romney want to sever the safety net for Americans and, second, you and Mitt Romney want to eliminate the charitable tax deduction.

So cut out the fake photo-ops with clean dishes and get to work on the missing details from your proposals.

About Bill Buck

Bill Buck is a Democratic strategist, President of the Buck Communications Group, a media relations and new media strategies consulting business based in Washington, DC, and Managing Director of the online ad firm Influence DSP. He has over twenty years of international and national communications experience. The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CBS Local.