GOP race takes dramatic turn as rivals open fire on Romney

By: Jan Crawford
Topics: Campaign 2012

Mitt Romney, campaigns at Gilchrist Metal Fabricating in Hudson, N.H., Jan. 9, 2012.

(Credit: AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- The campaign for the Republican nomination has taken a dramatic turn today, with Mitt Romney's GOP challengers turning on him as a ruthless -- and heartless -- corporate executive who destroyed jobs and lives.

That line of attack mirrors the Democratic assault against Romney and was expected in the general election -- not the primary. Until now, his Republican competitors have attacked him for being too moderate. Today, they're pummeling him from the left -- sparking a firestorm of criticism from fiscal conservatives who say the GOP is playing into President Obama's hands.

The attack focuses not only on Romney's tenure at Bain Capital, but also on comments he made today and yesterday. This morning, Romney-- defending his record before a friendly Chamber of Commerce crowd -- said he likes "being able to fire people who provide services to me... You know, if someone doesn't give me a good service that I need, I want to say, 'I'm going to go get someone else to provide that service to me.'"

Yesterday, trying to connect with voters, he said he knew what it was like to worry about getting a pink slip.

Today, three of his rivals so far have pounced: Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Jon Huntsman.

Huntsman said Romney "enjoys firing people. I enjoy creating jobs." Perry said Romney was "getting rich off failure and sticking it to someone else." And on Romney's worry of a pink slip, Perry said Romney probably was worried he'd run out of them.

It was a tough new movie by a super PAC supporting Gingrich that appears to have triggered the shift in tone. The movie's trailer portrays Romney as a corporate raider motivated by greed who exploited businesses and lives. It focuses on companies that were downsized or closed when Bain took them over -- and features laid-off workers saying things like, "That was a man that destroyed us."

Push back was immediate. The front page of the Boston Herald has this headline: "Newt Goes Nuclear: Crybaby Gingrich's Attacks on Romney Could Cost GOP Election." And the conservative blogs have erupted over this clash about Republican principles of competition and Free Enterprise -- all on the eve of the nation's first primary.

Gingrich says he's going negative in S.C.
Mitt Romney: "I like being able to fire people" for bad service
Full coverage: Campaign 2012

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Jan Crawford
Jan Crawford is CBS News Chief Political and Legal Correspondent. She is from "Crossroads," Alabama.
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by rick_fman January 10, 2012 5:37 PM EST: This is just beautiful - after all the wailing and crying by Republicans that Obama is "anti-business" because he's had the temerity to actually suggest that banks and financial transactions should be regulated, they're now completely undermining their own message for momentary political advantage...who could have predicted? Does this mean that the hedge funds, mortgage brokers, and private equity firms that they've been shileding from Dodd-Frank are also "vultures"? How do they intend to square that circle? Of course, for the core base they're now competing for, the know-nothing contingent of the right wing, incongruities and outright contradictions mean nothing - but in the general election, when independents enter the contest, this blatant hypocrisy will sting...and whoever is the nominee will be tainted.; Reply to this comment


by MsmCorrupt January 10, 2012 12:06 AM EST: Jan - It is sad that you decided to manipulate the news by omission of the news. This conduct is shameful and the American people deserve an explanation of your immoral behavior.; Reply to this comment


by thebottom99pct January 9, 2012 10:40 PM EST: The media scrum over Mitt Romney's statement that he likes "being able to fire people" misses the larger - and more important - points about his healthcare policy.

No question: this latest inarticulate gaffe not only makes for a great controversy during a single news cycle, but is also sure to be repeated ad infinitum, renewing perceptions that Romney is a ruthless job-cutter, hopelessly out of touch with the everyday concerns of most Americans.

But "The Bottom 99%" takes a closer look at how this speech reveals Romney's inconsistencies and misleading claims about his policies and ObamaCare. Is it really, "repeal and replace" - or just "Rename and Claim"?

Don't be distracted - find out what you're missing about Mitt's healthcare policies. Click here:

http://thebottom99percent.com/mitt-on-health-insurance-youre-fired/; Reply to this comment


by franknkissy January 9, 2012 7:56 PM EST: We refute the proposal that NEWT is going negative - for his idea that he can create jobs through government activities is positively borrowed from the scientific materialistic conceptions of Vladimir LENIN & the Five & Ten Year PLans ! However - we refuse such ideas - instead we praise Mitt Romney ! And his beliefs that we must turn the American Workers loose and they will as they have always done - rebuild THE U.S.A. !; Reply to this comment


by msimamaji January 9, 2012 7:43 PM EST: "It pains me to fire you," so Mitt Romney told the New York Times, justifying his gambling gambits as CEO of Bain Capital.
Of course this is what CEO's like Mitt Romney do. When "investments don't work and you're not successful", CEO's like Mitt Romney fire their employees to give themselves a bonus. The bankrupt the employee pension fund to give themselves a golden parachute.

Elect Romney for president and guess what you'll get.

"It pains me to shut down your social security."

"It pains me to take away your Medicare."

"It pains me to let my Bankster buddies in Bain Capital loot your 401K."

"It pains me to let oil companies poison your air and drinking water."

"It pains me to give corporations tax breaks for off-shoring American jobs."
Vote for Mitt Romney, and a pink slip could be your reward.

*(Source: an article by Ryan Grim, Huffington Post, January 7, 2012; Reply to this comment


by P0STING_AWAY January 9, 2012 6:39 PM EST: by jade84116 January 9, 2012 6:18 PM EST
If "righteousness exalteth a nation" (Proverbs 14:34, KJV),
============================================================
We, the Thinking people of this country, will NOT permit
you MoronGelical christians to turn this into a theocracy.
Ship yourself to Pakistan.
Government sanctioned belief in imaginary creatures is the rule
over there.; Reply to this comment

by P0STING_AWAY January 9, 2012 6:36 PM EST

by StevenSikora January 9, 2012 5:21 PM EST
Oh, and Romney's biggest rivals are not Jon Huntsman, Rick Perry, or Newt Gingrich. Its' Ron Paul, and I don't see how the media can be so biased and get away with it.
======================================================
Look at polls.
You dimwits are confusing LOUD with POPULAR.

Reply to this comment


by fedup12 January 9, 2012 7:47 PM EST: Maybe he is just thinking the last 20 years of Republican Socially Conservative, fiscally liberal policy IS NOT WORKING.

by Anotheryahoo January 9, 2012 6:28 PM EST

Romney gets more $$$ from Goldman Sachs then anyone else, how is he going to represent the avg American working for the Banksters? Dont listen to his commercials they are spin,lies. follow the dollar trail, he is part of the corrupt bought off system . Banksters & Politicians.

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by nearl451 January 10, 2012 12:44 AM EST: Bingo. The public is fooled again.

by noloyalisti January 9, 2012 6:16 PM EST

Romney is the very definition of a slimewad and represents everything corporate that is wrong with America. No one like this should ever be put into a position of power because their brain has been fried by wealth. Romney is a freakin nightmare representative of the very rich who hate America. It's that simple.

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by Tired_of_liars January 9, 2012 10:09 PM EST: And you are a fool if you believe that

by occupy_cbs January 9, 2012 6:04 PM EST

GVJaneAz: "You will see how many people get fired when Obama wins a second term"

Are all people from AZ that daft, or is it just the republicans?

You surely are completely divorced from reality, since private-sector jobs have been created for 22 straight months, while we have lost government jobs -- you know, shrinking government to make it smaller, while creating private-sector jobs and increasing business profits!

2010 -- 943,000 private-sector jobs created

2011 -- 1.9 million private-sector jobs created -- loss of 280,000 government jobs

2012 -- economists predict creation of 2.1 million private-sector jobs

2010/2011 -- first increase in manufacturing jobs since 1997

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by occupy_cbs January 9, 2012 6:08 PM EST: Sorry jane, buy the facts show a good trend towards creating jobs during the past 2 years including the first increase in manufacturing jobs since 1997, businesses are sitting on record profits and tons of cash, and consumer confidence has increased along with demand, which points to more job creation under President Obama in 2012, so why would we want to 'hire' a republican corporate raider or lobbyist to destroy the good trend we have currently?