How predictable, really, that struggling GOP candidates are attacking Gov. Romney’s time at Bain. Many of those candidates have talked about economic opportunity, but they’re truly more comfortable with favored businesses than free markets. Denying the truth about capitalism — and trying to make Romney’s success into evidence that he’s Ebeneezer Scrooge — must seem a small price to these big-government Republicans.
Gingrich, Santorum, and Perry, all find themselves compelled, just compelled, to attack private economic accomplishment as a social sin. (Paul is the welcome exception.)
Why not? These gentlemen have benefited from the public, the political, the governmental – using public roles to advance their own notoriety while directing and regulating the efforts of more industrious private citizens.
One need be neither a Romney supporter nor a Republican to see how opportunistic Romney’s GOP opponents are.
For a quick defenses of capitalism — a peaceful system of voluntary transactions for mutual benefit — see posts on The Morality of Capitalism and Top 3 Common Myths of Capitalism.