Here’s former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s complete sentence about giving people the old pink slip. “I like being able to fire people who provide services to me.”
Here’s how the quote is playing among some of his Republican opponents, the media and some Democrats.
“I like firing people.”
Writers for the Website the Daily Beast even printed Romney’s full statement, and still manage to quote him out of context.
“Earth to Mitt: When dealing with accusations of being a job-killing CEO, it’s a good idea not to brag about firing people.”
And what did the headline of the Daily Beast commentary read?
“Romney’s Most Awkward Moments: I Like to Fire People, More.”
Los Angeles Times reporter Maeve Reston gave an even more complete account of Romney’s statement, and STILL managed to create a contextual imbroglio.
“The difficult truth about political ads is that context often doesn’t matter — and on Monday, Romney uttered a line that he will likely come to regret by November if he wins the Republican nomination for president.”
That was the first paragraph of Reston’s story. Here’s the second.
“At a time when Romney is facing an onslaught from independent groups attacking his experience at the private equity firm Bain Capital, the normally cautious candidate slipped up in Nashua on Monday morning when he was asked about health care providers and what should replace President Obama’s health care plan, which he as vowed to repeal if he is elected president.”
So from the first two paragraphs, readers don’t learn exactly what it is Romney said. But they did learn that he said something that was, at worst, stupid and at best questionable. And that he — oh, the horror! the horror! — worked at a private equity firm.
Here’s the third paragraph:
“Romney was explaining that he thinks it’s wrong that people get a break on health insurance only if they buy it from their employer and that under the current system, insurance companies don’t have many incentives to improve their coverage since employees often don’t have much control over their providers.”
That statement is absolutely, positively true, darned near undisputable. Don’t expect to read that on the Daily Beast Website or in the Los Angeles Times.
Here’s Romney’s full quote, as reported in the Los Angeles Times:
“I want individuals to have their own insurance. That means the insurance company will have an incentive to keep you healthy. It also means that if you don’t like what they do, you can fire them.
“I like being able to fire people who provide services to me. You know 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.”
Notice Los Angeles Times editors buried Romney’s complete quote way down in the fourth paragraph, and here was the headline:
“Mitt Romney gives foes a gift with ‘fire people’ remark.”
A gift for his foes? What Romney’s statement did was make me re-evaluate the man and consider voting for him, not one of his opponents. Any guy who talks about firing health insurance companies for not providing adequate coverage is A-OK in my book.
What these hypocritical Romney critics refuse to say is that they know he’s right, and that they’d fire bad service providers quicker than he would.
And it’s not just health insurance companies. (I’ve been in my doctor’s office and seen her haggling with insurance companies over my health.) I’m still looking for a bank that doesn’t do what I call the “Two-Teller Tango” whenever I have to deposit a check.
Firing poor service providers? Way to go, Romney. Way to go.
Examiner Columnist Gregory Kane is a Pulitzer-nominated news and opinion journalist who has covered people and politics from Baltimore to the Sudan.
