(CNN) - Criticism from fellow Republicans didn't stop Rick Perry from coming down hard on rival Mitt Romney Wednesday for his tenure at the private investment firm Bain Capital.
Speaking to CNN Chief National Correspondent John King, Perry said detractors from his own party were missing the point about his line of attack.
- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
"What I'm talking about is leadership," Perry said on CNN's "John King, USA."
"And leadership is about creating jobs, not destroying jobs. And that's what I've done as the governor of the state of Texas, is that we have put processes and policies and programs in place, tax, regulatory wise, that create an environment where the job creators actually have the opportunity to create jobs, not to destroy jobs."
Perry has taken heat from fellow conservatives for his heightened assault on Romney's time as CEO of Bain Capital, likening the firm to "vultures" who took over companies and laid off workers. His critics say that is an anti-capitalist message more appropriate for liberal Democrats.
Asked by King about a Wall Street Journal editorial that said the anti-Bain argument was more suited to liberal filmmaker Michael Moore, Perry insisted his argument meshed with a conservative platform.
"Well, I disagree with their characterization that, number one, that somehow or another we're not just telling the truth," Perry said. "And the fact is, the Obama administration will use this. And we do need to get it out now and talk about it. But it doesn't sound like Michael Moore."
Perry said he was committed to campaigning through South Carolina's primary on January 21.
"I'm sure there's some, you know, supernatural occurrence that could occur," Perry said. "But I can't think of anything in the natural world that would cause me to drop out of the race."
Also see:
Poll: Romney, Santorum tied with Obama in Florida
S.C. Republicans plan presidential forum in conservative upstate
From CNN Politics
© 2014 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help | CNN Newsource | License Footage
Governer Perry would be better off attacking Mitt Romney as a flip-flopping liberal.
To be fair, Romney was never in the business of creating jobs. There would have been no room to criticize him if he wasn't trying to sell himself as a job creator. "job cremator" is closer to the truth.
However he produced record ROI for people who trusted him with their money. If America was a corporation, Romney would be hard to beat on his record, but it's not. We have a social contract that legally corporations may not have to honor, but government does.
It's as simple as that.
Then why did the GOP create the financial mess we're in that allows corporations to outsource jobs? Why did the GOP's bungling lack of financial knowledge put us in a near Depression where jobs are scarce and millions of us are out of work? Obama has shown leadership by trying to get jobs back in the the US. The GOP just keeps destroying them. That shows their lack of leadership.
Please, Ameruca (intended Perryism) believe that the rest of the U.S. should look like Texas with its abysmal record of minimum wage jobs, subsistence economy and living conditions for the majority of the state. What an ... umm ... idiot ... Ooops!
Is leadership also allowing Cowboy Fonzie into the next CNN primary debate despite the fact that he meets none of the objective criteria published by CNN?
In other words, when he quits it'll be because god told him too, not because he's a big LOSER!
Gov. PERRY has the best economic and jobs plan to get America back working again !!
Republican philosophy usually insists that government does not create jobs, people do.
Republicans keep going on and on about how government doesn't create jobs and then they argue about who's the better job creator. Get your story straight fella's, can't have it both ways.
he had to be living in a cave the last 30 yrs
Wow, I previously thought a bag of rocks was the dumbest thing I've ever seen. Then Rick Perry came along.
Interesting that the job Perry takes credit for "creating" were government jobs resulting from the BRAC closings of military bases. My only regret for him losing the nomination is he will return here to Texas.
"And leadership is about creating jobs, not destroying jobs. And that's what I've done as the governor of the state of Texas,..." What a load of horse apples! The only thing Perry has "led" us in Texas to is Republican double-talk, and
(along with Ron Paul) he's "led" us into being the laughing stock of the whole country!! He's just a bad copy of bad
semiTexan EXpresidents: G Bush's 1&2...
There should be more than just profit. People who do this don't think about the communities that are affected by the companies closing. This is why these companies shouldn't be considered American and not given any breaks. We need companies to invest here.
Thank you Rick Perry for giving Willard the best name anyone could possibly think of. The only smart thing you ever did.
Would somebody please remind Rick Perry of Enron.
The GOP is such a hypocrisy.
Governor Rick Perry, who received the next largest chunk of Enron money after GW Bush.
Perry and Romney both have more then envy .
Rick you are not a leader. You are a hack governor from a southern state. Why don't you go home and finish destroying public education? The only way you will continue to be governor, is to keep the general Texas public ignorant.
Got to give him credit for realizing obama is destroying jobs,but does he realize obama did this by creating jobs?the only jobs government can create is more government jobs which comes with more regulation and intrusion and that destroys the private sector.the only way government can create jobs is to scale back regulation and taxes.but this government is becoming so intrusive that the next thing im expecting is regulation on the amount of toilet paper i can use.
"Moderate" whatever...Perry's leadership (and Ron Paul) has, in fact, made Texas a laughing stock...
Gingrich and Perry should crawl back into the holes from which they came. The nation is tired of their kind of politics and is looking for leadership that will solve this nations problems of unemployment, deficit spending, defense and at the same time bringing some sense of reality and integrity to the process.
You can vote for romney if you want a job in China, but I would rather work in the USA!!!
If leadership is about creating jobs, it looks like Perry is about to endorse President Obama for his creation of 2.6 million jobs, stopping the loss of 8 million jobs in Bush's last three years.