(Newser)
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Whoops: Mitt Romney is probably wishing he had found a slightly different way to word this sentiment that's making the rounds. "I like being able to fire people who provide services to me," he said at a campaign event in New Hampshire today. Romney was discussing the advantages of purchasing health care services. Immediately preceding the quote in question, Romney had pointed out that if you buy your own insurance and are not happy with the insurance company, "you can fire them."
Making the moment even worse for Romney is the fact that his Bain Capital made money partially through massive layoffs, ThinkProgress notes. Democrats were, predictably, quick to jump on the quote as Romney saying he likes to fire people—which isn't really fair, writes Greg Sargent in the Washington Post. Then again, Sargent continues, Romney himself used President Obama's words out of context, meaning that by his own standards, "it wouldn’t be questionable at all to whittle Romney’s quote down to a claim that he enjoys the act of firing people."
