lover of the people?

Act 1.1.91-93
I find it ironic that even though the first citizen states that Menenius does not “fob off [their] disgrace with a tale”, that is exactly what he does. Menenius diverts the crowd’s attention and anger with a story of the belly, symbolic of the patricians, which acts as the storehouse of the whole body. The belly gives food all parts of the body, no matter how inferior just as the patricians divide the grain beteween the people. A story does not end the people’s hunger, yet Menenius’s charisma seems to have a strong power over the plebeians. In fact, Menenius clearly sides with the patricians and still is known as a "lover of the people"! Meneius clearly is not looking out for the people. He looks out for himself and the higher classes. Perhaps he should rather be called an illusionist…