Romney defends 'I like to fire people' remark

CONCORD, N.H. -- Mitt Romney may well win the New Hampshire primary today, but his quote about firing people is also likely to be a legacy of his campaign in the Granite State.
Romney defended the remark during a polling place visit in Manchester, noting that he made it while discussing ways to make it easier for Americans to choose their insurance companies.
"I was talking about as you know insurance companies," Romney said. "We all like to get rid of our insurance companies."
Democrats and some Republicans continued to attack Romney for the comment, saying it reflects a callous attitude in tough economic times.
As Romney reached out for a baby today, a heckler yelled out: "Are you going to fire the baby?"
Romney is also taking heat for his work with the Bain Capital private equity firm.
As we reported earlier, Texas Gov. Rick Perry -- campaigning in South Carolina -- described Romney and his Bain associates as "vultures" who wait "for companies to get sick; they swoop in; they eat the carcass."
The Associated Press reported on Romney's appearance today:

Taken together, the assault has left Romney's team tense going into a night they hoped would be a celebration of an overwhelming victory that would contribute to the perception that the former Massachusetts governor would inevitably become the Republican nominee.
Instead, when Romney reached out to hold a supporter's baby daughter, the shouts were angry. "Are you going to fire the baby?" someone yelled over the din.
Others shouted, "We want Mitt!"
Romney's staffers tried to guide him through the crush of reporters shouting questions at him and had to shove people out of the way to open the door of Romney's SUV. His daughter-in-law was left behind in the crowd, and Romney moved a meeting with volunteers to a different, unannounced location.
He had no other public events planned until Tuesday evening.
Romney has led in opinion polls here for months -- in recent days by 20 percentage points or more. He's been pushing for an overwhelming victory as he looks to South Carolina, a state where the conservative GOP base was uncomfortable with him in 2008, and strives to wrap up the nomination fight as quickly as possible.

See photos of: Mitt Romney, Rick Perry