Romney Campaign Press Release - Mitt Romney: "My Background of 25 Years in the Private Sector Gives Me Credibility on the Economy and on Creating Jobs"

MSNBC

"Morning Joe"

December 20, 2011

Segment From Mitt Romney's Interview on "Morning Joe":

MITT ROMNEY: "Look, I happen to think I'm in the best position to replace President Obama. I think that the only way we're going to get President Obama out of the White House -- because it's hard to replace an incumbent, is if we have someone run against him who is different than a lifelong politician. I think there's nothing wrong with being a lifelong politician; we got one in the White House right now. Newt Gingrich has spent his life in Washington and I don't think someone who has spent their life in Washington is going to be able to be sufficiently distinctive for President Obama to actually beat him. I think my background of 25 years in the private sector gives me credibility on the economy and on creating jobs that President Obama doesn't have, and that distinction is going to make the difference."

JOE SCARBOROUGH: "Let's talk about that. Newt Gingrich has attacked you for what you did at Bain Capital. Are you proud of your work at Bain Capital?"

ROMNEY:  "Absolutely, we helped create tens of thousands of jobs. I'm proud of the private sector. There's no question that Speaker Gingrich and, much more significantly, the DNC and President Obama are going to put free enterprise on trial."

SCARBOROUGH: "Well they that said you threw people out of jobs, whether it's in South Carolina or New Hampshire. You were responsible for people getting fired."

ROMNEY: "What I was responsible for was four enterprises during my life and all of them were successful and grew. And we invested in over 100 different businesses. And in those businesses, many were successful, added lots and lots of jobs. Some were not successful. That is the nature of free enterprise. If someone thinks they can find a way that every enterprise that one invests in becomes... all are successful, why they're not living in a free enterprise system, they're living in a system like the old Soviet Union where the government insists that everybody adds employment every year and ultimately the economy suggests that the people become poorer. I believe that free enterprise works and that the other models have been proven to be failures time and time again, and I was surprised to have Newt Gingrich pick up the story line that came from Barack Obama and the DNC and go on the attack against free enterprise."