Mitt Romney's South Carolina concession speech
Mitt Romney, during his bitter
concession speech on Saturday night, not only confusing questions about his record at Bain with a "front assault on free enterprise," but effectively saying that Republicans should support him
because he's rich.
When my -- when my opponents attack success and free enterprise, they're not only attacking me, they're attacking every person who dreams of a better future, he's attacking you. I will support you. I will help you have a better future. I will make sure that America is a place of opportunity for all.
I'm passionate -- I'm passionate about our economic liberty because I have witnessed our free enterprise system as it rewards the hard work of many and creates prosperity for all in this great country. And over the past few weeks we have seen a frontal assault on free enterprise. We expected this from President Obama. We didn't anticipate some Republicans would join him. That's a mistake for our party and for our nation. Ours is the party of free enterprise and free markets and consumer choice.
The Republican Party doesn't demonize prosperity. We celebrate success in our party.
And Karl Rove loves the argument, praising Romney for having said the same thing during Thursday's debate:
His best moment on Thursday night was when he said, I didn't inherit this money, I made it my myself, and I'm not going to apologize for it, and anybody who attacks me is attacking the free enterprise system. And I thought that was a very strong moment for him.
Of course, all this talk about free enterprise is nonsense, and voters know it. Hell, even Mitt Romney knows it. If he really believed that voters would blindly "celebrate success" without caring how he achieved that success, he'd have released his tax returns long ago—and he'd have answered the questions he's gotten about how Bain made its money. And that's one of the reasons his campaign is struggling: one of his core arguments is bullshit, and he knows it.