Mitt Romney’s pushing back hard on Newt Gingrich’s suggestion that he made his fortune through destroying jobs rather than creating them. The former Bain Capital executive’s response essentially boils down to one word: “Staples!”
The Romney campaign fired off an email to reporters this morning with the subject heading: “Staples Founder Tom Stemberg Responds To Gingrich: ‘He Has No Clue How The Real World Economy Works'”
Here’s the statement in full:
“Newt Gingrich comes from the world where politicians are paid millions after they retire to influence their friends in Washington. Mitt Romney comes from the private sector, where the economy is built by hard work and entrepreneurial drive. It’s clear that after 30 years as a Washington insider, Newt Gingrich has no clue how the real world economy works. After 25 years in business, Mitt Romney understands how jobs come and go, and what we need to do to get our economy back on track. If Newt Gingrich is our party’s nominee, the choice in next year’s election will be between two professional politicians, two Washington insiders, two people with no experience in the real world of job creation.”
Expect to see more of this as the campaign progresses. Especially after Romney’s ten thousand dollar bet moment on Saturday night, his opponents are striving more than ever to paint his Bain Capital days as a time of Gordon Gekko-like asset-stripping. The Romney camp is at pains to remind people of the investments that really paid off, with Staples being one of them.
