Photo of wide-eyed Chipotle worker, Romney goes viral
DENVER (AP) - The manager of a Denver Chipotle restaurant has become an Internet celebrity thanks to the wide-eyed pose he struck alongside Mitt Romney when the Republican presidential candidate stopped by for lunch.
Marty Arps, 20, posed for a group photo with Romney and Chipotle employees Tuesday afternoon. Arps is seen making a wide-eyed expression while pointing at Romney.
The Associated Press photo is being shared extensively on Twitter and is making the rounds on websites.
"It's a facial expression I do when I'm excited," Arps told The Daily. He told the online publication he made the same expression when he met singer Nicki Minaj.
"It's like, 'Ah, it's them, right there in front of you!' They're not from another world,'" he said.
Arps was not at work Wednesday, according to a Chipotle employee who answered the telephone.
Romney seemed unaware of Arps' pose and the mood was jovial, said AP photographer Charles Dharapak, who snapped the picture. "It didn't seem awkward. Everyone was having a good time," Dharapak said.
Romney ordered a pork burrito bowl with guacamole during a break from preparations for Wednesday's debate with President Barack Obama in Denver. He was joined by his debate training partner, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman.
Romney spent about five minutes greeting customers, and he also posed for a photo outside with a 3-year-old girl.
Arps told The Daily he doesn't know yet who he'll vote for. He said he's "not too hip to elections and stuff."
Marty Arps, 20, posed for a group photo with Romney and Chipotle employees Tuesday afternoon. Arps is seen making a wide-eyed expression while pointing at Romney.
The Associated Press photo is being shared extensively on Twitter and is making the rounds on websites.
"It's a facial expression I do when I'm excited," Arps told The Daily. He told the online publication he made the same expression when he met singer Nicki Minaj.
"It's like, 'Ah, it's them, right there in front of you!' They're not from another world,'" he said.
Arps was not at work Wednesday, according to a Chipotle employee who answered the telephone.
Romney seemed unaware of Arps' pose and the mood was jovial, said AP photographer Charles Dharapak, who snapped the picture. "It didn't seem awkward. Everyone was having a good time," Dharapak said.
Romney ordered a pork burrito bowl with guacamole during a break from preparations for Wednesday's debate with President Barack Obama in Denver. He was joined by his debate training partner, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman.
Romney spent about five minutes greeting customers, and he also posed for a photo outside with a 3-year-old girl.
Arps told The Daily he doesn't know yet who he'll vote for. He said he's "not too hip to elections and stuff."
The AP just won't pass up a chance to publish the most anti-Romney photos they can find. This is at least the second one in a week. I thought the media was supposed to be objective. That clearly is not the case with the AP.
I don't care you who are, you too would be wide eyed (your version of it either way) that the person standing next to you may very well become (or is) the most powerful man on Earth. Even if you wonât vote for them, you gotta be in awe of the very fact.
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This young man expresses what everyone would had we actually took a second to think about who it was standing there.
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Many people are either A) Scripted interactions (like Obama and the pancake place), or B) so shocked they have not yet processed the scene as it unfolds for them.
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This kid is indeed funny, but in a way people can identify with.
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I wonder if the "pork burrito bowl with guacamole" was intentional on the writer's part, considering it's called carnitas at Chipotle. Intentional as in making sure Muslims would be offended.
 @OSUx2 screw the muslims. They want us dead. Sorry, in a foul mood. Tired of muslims tryin' to rule the world. I might just cook up some bacon to tick em off
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Perhaps, but remember that offended Muslims might vote Obama, which doesn't help things at all for Romney & his supporters.
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 @Solipsist01 dude, I'm a lesbian too.
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Let's all give this photo a caption:
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Dude didn't know what an avacado was......
 @WendyTeagarden Okay. You will note a finger on the guy's hand pointing toward Romney. And the caption is; "Hey! I like this guy!"
Help a brother out and pull my finger
 @WendyTeagarden Hey Y'alll, didja know this dues a Cracka?
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 @WendyTeagardenÂ
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It's so white it burns my eyes.
 @WendyTeagarden "Dude! Did he just do that?"
Speaking of Sesame Street, "one of these things are not like the other"......
@WendyTeagarden Romney's Caption would say "I can't wait to get home and burn these clothes and take three showers"
@Allan Thank you for playing
So the 200 pd elephant in the room is that none wants to come right out and say that it went viral because of the stereotype of a "wide eyed" black man stammering and shufflin talkng to the white man - as portrayed back in the day.
 @wvboy He thought Mitt was Elvis....
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atleast the covered all their bases and made sure the picture was politically correct
Are those girls holding hands?Â
@RatchetRanger It does look like that bracelet is covering both hands....
@WendyTeagarden Siamese Bracelet?
@beernpizza  I know that you are a manly man.Â
ps I haven't heard the word "toots" in a long time
 @WendyTeagarden  @beernpizza You're darn right I am toots. :) Well, on second thought, after reviewing the pic again, I might need a couple of cocktails.....(yes Wen, I'm a dude)
@beernpizza @AmFromHere  because you are a lesbian???????
 @AmFromHere  @WendyTeagarden Whatever it is, I'm game
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That it some funny stuff there...
"Arps was not at work Wednesday, according to a Chipotle employee who answered the telephone."
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Chicago politics. Â Start checking the local landfills.
"Romney ordered a pork burrito bowl..."
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Well there goes the muslim vote.
 @RalphCramden I wonder if Grey Poupon goes well with that.
 @FrackWit  @RalphCramden why yes, yes it does.
Arps told The Daily he doesn't know yet who he'll vote for. He said he's "not too hip to elections and stuff."
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Please skip this election Mr. Arps, voting is best left to those who are "hip" to them.
 @Torino Or he could be one of the 4% of blacks who won't say that they'll vote for Obama, but he doesn't dare say that he'll vote for Romney either...