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Romney comment on firing may give opponents ammo

Mitt Romney spoke today in Nashua, N.H.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

NASHUA, N.H. -- Mitt Romney, who has been under assault from his political rivals for his business background, came here today to tout his early “entry level” job trying to work his way up through consulting firms. But it was a comment he made in the final minutes – “I like being able to fire people” – that is sure to provide further ammunition for his opponents to cast him as a wealthy, out-of-touch executive.

Romney made the comment while touting a health care approach that would allow people to purchase their own insurance, which Romney said would give the companies an incentive to keep their customers happy and healthy.

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“It also means that if you don’t like what they do, you can fire them,” Romney said. “I like being able to fire people who provide services to me. If someone doesn’t give me the good service I need, I want to say, you know, I’m going to go get someone else to provide that service to me.”

The comment came a day after Romney made another comment, that he feared several times getting a “pink slip,” though he and his campaign did not describe when the multimillionaire venture and equity investor ever worried about being dismissed from a job.

Romney was also confronted by a representative from the United Auto Workers union who confronted him about his opposition to the auto bailout. After his speech was over, a woman agrily criticized him for not backing a national health care plan that was modeled after his Massachusetts law.

“When you signed into law RomneyCare, I was excited,” said the woman, Gail Murray, a technical writer from Infield, N.H. “You seemed proud to do that. And then when the country copied you, it just seemed that there was hope for people like me.”

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Romney grew testy, asking her three times how she’s been since the law was passed.

“I don’t have health care, sir,” she said. “I’m scared.”

“That tells you something, doesn’t it?” Romney replied. “Tells you something.”

“It hasn’t gone into effect yet, sir,” Murray said. “Your market doesn’t work for me, sir. I’m scared. I’m frightened. My colleagues in Massachusetts have hope that they have access to health care.”

“And who was the governor that put that in place?” he responded.

With that, Romney’s aides began escorting him out of the room, saying they were running behind schedule. As reporters surrounded the woman – as well as Julie Kushner, a New England UAW representative – the speakers were turned up loud to blast, “Life is a Highway” and chamber of commerce officials told reporters to clear the room.

The event -- at the Radisson Hotel at a Nashua Chamber of Commerce breakfast – began on friendlier terms. Speaking before a business crowd, Romney was at ease and slipped into jargon he attmepts to avoid in his stump speech, such as “get a pro forma together,” “net-net,” and, “if you’re in a C-corporation.”

Romney began the speech this morning by downplaying some of his success, saying he started at the bottom and worked his way up.

“I think some people imagine, by the way, that I just went directly to the top positions in industry and business, that I started off as vice chairman or chairman or CEO of Bain,” he said. “You probably know that I started off actually at the entry level, coming out of graduate school.”

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He later segued into remarks about his business background being one of the chief reasons to elect him.

“If I’m president of the United States, I will take my 25 years of business experience in the private sector and use that to rekindle the basis of our economic foundation,” he said.

“I didn’t mention the president’s rhetoric. Sometimes I don’t think he likes you very much. I love you,” Romney added. “I love what you do. I love the fact that you’re taking risks, that you’re pursuing your dreams, that you’re hiring people, that you’re paying taxes.”


Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com.