Spin Cycle

Romney Feeling Bain Pain

Howard Kurtz on how the burgeoning debate about his takeover firm threatens to define his candidacy.

Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry may have backed off the Bain attacks, but Mitt Romney’s days at the investment firm could continue to haunt him throughout his campaign. “It’s almost like John Kerry having to defend his Vietnam War medals, a development that could turn Romney’s greatest strength…into a potential weakness,” writes The Daily Beast’s Howard Kurtz. Stories of laid-off workers unable to provide for their families continue to overshadow Romney’s attempted defenses of his company’s successes. Kurtz acknowledges the argument that his rivals are helping him by getting this issue out of the way now, but predicts that that his job killing past will ultimately weigh heavily on voters’ decisions come November.