Ron Paul Defends Romney, Lashes Out at His Critics: 'They Don't Have the Vaguest Idea How the Market Works

GOP presidential hopeful Ron Paul blasted fellow Republicans for making what he calls unjust and misguided attacks on Mitt Romney’s "fire" statement, as well as his personal business record.

“I think they’re wrong. I think they’re totally misunderstanding the way the market works,” Paul told ABC's Jonathan Karl outside a polling place in Manchester. “They are either just demagoguing or they don’t have the vaguest idea how the market works.”

Paul also clarified his views on Romney’s latest controversial remarks in which the former Massachusetts governor allegedly said, “I like to be able to fire people.”

“I think they’re unfairly attacking him on that issue because he never really literally said that,” Paul said.  “They've taken him way out of context. … He wants to fire companies.”

As The Blaze previously reported, during a speech to the Nashua Chamber of Commerce Monday, Romney said he wanted Americans to be able to switch insurance companies if they were so inclined.

"I like being able to fire people who provide services to me," Romney said. "You know, if someone doesn't give me the good service I need, I want to say 'You know, I'm going to go get someone else to provide that service to me.'"

Paul also said Romney's track record as CEO at Bain Capital is an example of the free market.

"You save companies, you save jobs when you reorganize companies that are going to go bankrupt," Paul said. "They don't understand."

“I think they’re way overboard on saying that he wants to fire people, he doesn’t care," Paul said.  “You save companies, you save jobs when you reorganize companies that are going to go bankrupt. And they don’t understand that.”

(h/t: ABC)