But when asked afterwards by reporters about Romney’s call on him to return the Freddie Mac money, Gingrich did not hesitate to attack Romney’s record at Bain Capital.
Romney, in turn, bristled when reporters informed him about Gingrich’s comments about Bain Capital after meeting with and taking questions from voters in Madison.
“Doesn’t he understand how the economy works?’’ Romney said. “In the real economy, some businesses succeed and some fail. That’s how that works. You try to encourage the more successful - and fortunately for many people tens of thousands of jobs, actually over 100,000 jobs, were created through the investments that we were able to help make.
“There’s a big difference between working in the private economy and working on K Street - and working as a lobbyist, or working as a legislator, or working to connect businesses with government,’’ Romney said. “If he was working as a spokesman for Fannie Mae - excuse me, Freddie Mac - if he was there because of his political connections, and then if Freddie Mac fails, I think a fair question is asked: Why did he profit as Freddie Mac failed?’’
When reporters asked Romney about Gingrich’s comment on the negative advertising he said he faces, Romney suggested his campaign may turn in that direction.
“We aren’t running any negative ads at [this] point, but we may,’’ he said. “This is, after all, politics. There’s no whining in politics.’’
Romney has also shifted in recent days to talking more openly about his personal life and, in particular, his Mormon faith. For the second straight day, he brought up his faith as a way to show his compassion for people in need and his ability to relate to people of modest means.
“I had the occasion to counsel with people,’’ he said when asked by a voter about the perception that he is too wealthy to understand the concerns of the poor. “Sometimes with people with marital problems. Sometimes with a child that was errant. And a lot of times with people who had financial difficulties.’’
