Well it's about time that these losers got around to knocking the dickens out of Mitt Romney, that great labor liquidator of the shareholder value revolution. Everyone, right and left, is pointing and laughing the sad galoot over this clip, in which he says he likes firing people. No, scratch that: He says he likes "being able to fire people." What does he really say?

"I want people to be able to own insurance if they wish to, and to buy it for themselves and perhaps keep it for the rest of their life, and to choose among different policies offered from companies across the nation. I want individuals to have their own insurance. That means the insurance company will have an incentive to keep you healthy.


He is saying he wants people to be able to dump their health insurance plans if they do not like them. It is a non-comment and completely different than saying he "likes firing people." But that's no matter. Will you shed many tears when this is ripped from context entirely for the next year, reader? Here's Jon Huntsman's campaign, immediately:


He added that Romney's comment shows that the former Massachusetts governor is "slightly out of touch with the economic realities."

The non-Romneys have decided to run with this critique of Romney as the coldhearted labor-crushing capitalist, even if it means going against the right wing's longtime love of coldhearted labor-crushing capitalists. They have abandoned George Will, who wrote, pretentiously, because he's George Will, that "We should welcome such spirits and should hope for political leadership that will hasten the day when American conditions are again receptive to them," when Gingrich first attacked Romney's leveraged buyout record at Bain Capital. This is the only way to stop Romney from winning the nomination, and, well, Republicans from winning the presidency. But they'll figure out that second part... later? Sure. Later.