GREER, S.C. — Signaling concern within Mitt Romney’s campaign that the attacks on his private-sector experience are beginning to take their toll, the Republican front-runner stepped up his defense Thursday of his career at a private-equity firm, as prominent GOP leaders chided his rivals for ganging up on him.
Battling an effort by his opponents and an independent group backing former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to portray him as a former “corporate raider” who relentlessly pursued profits even if that meant layoffs at the companies his firm controlled, Romney attempted to shift attention to the success stories of Bain Capital.
The former Massachusetts governor argued that companies that Bain invested in — such as Staples, Bright Horizons Children’s Centers, Sports Authority and Steel Dynamics — added a total of more than 100,000 jobs.
“There are some businesses that are growing and thriving, . . . there’s some businesses that have to be cut back in order to survive,” Romney said after a rally at a motorcycle manufacturer here. He rebuffed accusations that he had been focused solely on short-term gains, insisting that the private-equity firm’s goal was to generate a return for shareholders and “see more employment.”
The scorching tone of the fight among the Republican candidates is beginning to unnerve some prominent party members, such as South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Giuliani said he was “shocked” by the GOP attacks on Romney. “I’m going to say it’s ignorant. Dumb,” Giuliani said on Fox News. “It’s building something we should be fighting — ignorance of the American economic system.”
Thomas Donohue, who heads the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said he was disappointed by the tone of Republican contenders who have piled on Romney: “We think Romney has had a pretty good track record. Perfect? Hell, no, but damn good.”
The super PAC backing Gingrich, “Winning Our Future,” has promised a “strong and sustained” campaign attacking Romney’s career at Bain. Texas Gov. Rick Perry also did not back off, insisting he is not criticizing the free market or venture capitalists, but specifically Bain Capital.
