Romney:"I like firing people!"

[Landslide Lyndon]

The link title says it all.

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/01/09/high_fives_at_dnc_headquarters.html

[TheGlobalizer]

Easily rebutted.  I don't think this has legs, especially in context.

[Meeker]

Easily rebutted.  I don't think this has legs, especially in context.

What he said in the comment isn't important. The important part is that the Obama campaign now has a video clip of Romney saying "I like being able to fire people" that they can run ad nauseam completely out of context in advertisements about Bain Capital.

[TheGlobalizer]

Easily rebutted.  I don't think this has legs, especially in context.

What he said in the comment isn't important. The important part is that the Obama campaign now has a video clip of Romney saying "I like being able to fire people" that they can run ad nauseam completely out of context in advertisements about Bain Capital.

"Yes, I like firing people - who don't do their jobs well.  The first person I want to fire is Barack Obama."

[Meeker]

Easily rebutted.  I don't think this has legs, especially in context.

What he said in the comment isn't important. The important part is that the Obama campaign now has a video clip of Romney saying "I like being able to fire people" that they can run ad nauseam completely out of context in advertisements about Bain Capital.

"Yes, I like firing people - who don't do their jobs well.  The first person I want to fire is Barack Obama."

And your point is...

[You kip if you want to...]

Wierd how Mitt's actually the most gaffe prone of the field.

[NVGonzalez]

Easily rebutted.  I don't think this has legs, especially in context.

What he said in the comment isn't important. The important part is that the Obama campaign now has a video clip of Romney saying "I like being able to fire people" that they can run ad nauseam completely out of context in advertisements about Bain Capital.

"Yes, I like firing people - who don't do their jobs well.  The first person I want to fire is Barack Obama."

And your point is...

Romney was the one who made a very ridiculous ad taking Obama's quotes out of context. What goes around comes around.

[DrScholl]

Context means nothing here, it is a sound bite that can be the set up to numerous ads. Remember, he has really fired people and a lot of them.

[TheGlobalizer]

Context means nothing here, it is a sound bite that can be the set up to numerous ads. Remember, he has really fired people and a lot of them.

Of course it can be used.  It can also be rebutted.

[NHI]

This has no legs.

[Landslide Lyndon]

http://www.mrmediatraining.com/index.php/2012/01/09/mitt-romney-i-like-firing-people/

Wait a minute,” you might think, “that’s taken totally out of context!”

That may be true, but it doesn’t matter. Gaffes that reinforce an existing narrative about a candidate are almost always the most harmful ones, and Gov. Romney is already enduring increasing attacks from opponents and Democrats alike for being more of a job “cremator” than job creator during his tenure at Bain Capital.

As pundit Michael Kinsley once said, a “gaffe” is when a politician tells the truth. Mr. Romney’s comment will hurt him because many voters will view it as revelatory, not accidental. 

[TheGlobalizer]

I agree, but it's a segue into a conversation/counterpoint that isn't a major problem for Romney at all.  If he said he likes laying people off, that would be a major gaffe.

I don't think this 'gotcha' stuff sticks around very long anyway.

[Lief 🗽]

I agree, but it's a segue into a conversation/counterpoint that isn't a major problem for Romney at all.  If he said he likes laying people off, that would be a major gaffe.

I don't think this 'gotcha' stuff sticks around very long anyway.

It's a death by a thousand cuts sort of thing. The problem for Mittens is that he keeps saying things like this. Just yesterday he said he liked firing people and he said he's known what it's like to be worried about getting a pinkslip (which is a lie). And in the past few months he's done the "corporations are people" thing, the $10k bet out of nowhere, "I'm running for President for pete's sake", etc.

[RogueBeaver]

I agree, but it's a segue into a conversation/counterpoint that isn't a major problem for Romney at all.  If he said he likes laying people off, that would be a major gaffe.

I don't think this 'gotcha' stuff sticks around very long anyway.

[TheGlobalizer]

I agree, but it's a segue into a conversation/counterpoint that isn't a major problem for Romney at all.  If he said he likes laying people off, that would be a major gaffe.

I don't think this 'gotcha' stuff sticks around very long anyway.

It's a death by a thousand cuts sort of thing. The problem for Mittens is that he keeps saying things like this. Just yesterday he said he liked firing people and he said he's known what it's like to be worried about getting a pinkslip (which is a lie). And in the past few months he's done the "corporations are people" thing, the $10k bet out of nowhere, "I'm running for President for pete's sake", etc.

I think this is far less effective at pushing the "rich guy" angle than those other examples.  I also don't think Obama is fighting from a great position of strength on this, either - the "profligate Obama family" meme is starting to make the rounds more and more.

[Torie]

I like firing incompetents too - and have many times. That is precisely what Mitt said. It was a competence issue. Employees do not have some entitlement to keep a job where they are not performing, unless protected by some labor union or something. End of story.

[opebo]

I think this is far less effective at pushing the "rich guy" angle than those other examples.  I also don't think Obama is fighting from a great position of strength on this, either - the "profligate Obama family" meme is starting to make the rounds more and more.

No on takes an 'Obama is rich' meme seriously, glob - he's immunized against such lies by being from the subject race.

I like firing incompetents too - and have many times. That is precisely what Mitt said. End of story.

Yes, that is the point of view of you privileged, you and Mit, Torie.  But the vast majority of americans are your slaves, and might find such arrogance annoying. 

[TheGlobalizer]

I think this is far less effective at pushing the "rich guy" angle than those other examples.  I also don't think Obama is fighting from a great position of strength on this, either - the "profligate Obama family" meme is starting to make the rounds more and more.

No on takes an 'Obama is rich' meme seriously, glob - he's immunized against such lies by being from the subject race.

I would think that the vast swaths of racist middle class whites would be drooling at the opportunity to attack an uppity "subject race".

[Insula Dei]

I've never got the glee American conservatives seem to find in firing 'incompetents' (, which they define rather vaguely). I don't think firing anyone should ever be a labor of love.

[DrScholl]

Of course it can be used.  It can also be rebutted.

Rebutting it with ad hominem attacks won't deflect Romney's business record been scrutinized. He doesn't want to discuss the layoffs.

[ZuWo]

There are way more effective and honest ways of attacking Romney than taking one of his utterances out of context. Just contrast Romney's utterances of when he was still running for MA Governor with his utterances of today - and you get the effect you want.

[cavalcade]

Ironically, in context Romney was talking about firing corporations.

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None of which is to say that we won't be seeing this again.

[Likely Voter]

When John Kerry said "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it" he was making a valid point about how he voted for the version of the bill that paid for itself instead of the one increasing the deficit, something that fiscal conservatives should have appreciated.

But that didn't matter of course. What he said fed into a narrative as a flip flopper.

This will too, just like "corporations are people"

[NHI]

I like firing incompetents too - and have many times. That is precisely what Mitt said. It was a competence issue. Employees do not have some entitlement to keep a job where they are not performing, unless protected by some labor union or something. End of story.

[opebo]

I've never got the glee American conservatives seem to find in firing 'incompetents' (, which they define rather vaguely). I don't think firing anyone should ever be a labor of love.

Of course they are power worshippers, Belg.  They love the feel of grinding another human into the dirt, as well as the slavish butt-kissing they get from the remaining serfs after the firing.