Politics

Top Huntsman strategist: Mitt ‘completely out of touch with the American worker’

Jamie Weinstein Senior Writer
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CONCORD, N.H. — Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman’s top political strategist, John Weaver, told The Daily Caller that Mitt Romney “seems completely out of touch with the American worker.”

Weaver made the comments after bringing up remarks the former Massachusetts governor made early on Monday to the Nashua Chamber of Commerce that he likes the ability to “fire” services providers that aren’t performing. (RELATED: Key Huntsman strategist no longer counting on NH win)

“I like being able to fire people who provide services to me,” he said. “You know, if someone isn’t giving the good service, I want to say, ‘I’m going to go get someone else to provide this service too.’”

“Gov. Romney seems completely out of touch with the American worker and the working families of this country,” Weaver said. “Given his remarks today about enjoying firing people, I think at the end of the day, when this nomination fight is over, it will be the Republican Party and the voters in the party that will have fired Mitt Romney.”

Romney reportedly made the “fire” comment in the context of being able to get rid of an insurance company that wasn’t performing, which seems to make the Huntsman’s attack line a dishonest one.

“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 could fire them,” Romney said to the Nashua Chamber of Commerce.

Asked by The Daily Caller if attacking Romney’s business experience is a smart political move given the pushback from conservatives after former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich made similar attacks, Weaver said it was more about Romney’s attitude than his business experience.

“It’s not so much his business experience, although I think Bain [Capital] is going to get scrubbed pretty well,” he said.

“It’s more his attitude about the people who have to work and struggle for a living in this country. It’s not so much his business experience. It’s what’s in his heart and soul and how can he connect to people.”

TheDC caught up with Weaver at a short rally for Huntsman in Concord.

Last Tuesday, Huntsman told TheDC that going after Romney’s business experience was legitimate.

“This is a time when we need business growth, when we need new business start-ups, when we need to support entrepreneurship,” he added. “We need to expand the economic base and private equity traditionally has not been famous for expanding the economic base.”