Mitt Romney’s post-election explanation for his defeat – that the Democrats offered “gifts” for specific interest groups at a far greater pace than Republicans – has enabled most of the former Massachusetts governor’s erstwhile rivals to gleefully write obituaries for him as a political figure. And perhaps the most eager such figure is none other than the man who cost Romney the South Carolina primary and briefly rivaled him in Florida for the nomination – former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

Today on an ABC roundtable, Gingrich lit into Romney for his comments accusing the Democrats of “gift” giving, calling them “nuts” and “insulting and profoundly wrong.”

“This would be like Wal-Mart having a bad week and going, ‘The customers have really been unruly.’ I mean, the job of a political leader in part is to understand the people. If we can’t offer a better future that is believable to more people, we’re not going to win,” Gingrich said. “And if it had been that simple, my question would have been, ‘Why didn’t you outbid him?’”

In addition, Gingrich faulted Romney for holding a vision that “reduces us to economic entities who have no passion, no idealism, no dreams, no philosophy” and jokingly suggested having an “elephant with gifts on it” go into unfriendly communities.

Gingrich also blasted Romney for failing to pick up increasing amounts of the Asian American vote, who Gingrich characterized jokingly as “not into gifts.”

Watch Gingrich’s scathing response to Romney below, via Red Alert Politics: