The top 5 ways Democrats will use Romney’s words against Romney

Spinners and Winners

In politics, it's what you said — not what you meant to say — that matters.

And Mitt Romney knows as well as anyone that the past can haunt you. His Republican primary opponents have spent the last several months seizing on the words he uttered when he was running for office in Massachusetts. Quotes like "I'm someone who is moderate, my views are progressive."

But if Romney wins the nomination, there's a whole new set of words that have come out of his mouth this campaign season that the Democrats will surely use again him.

Here are a few — watch our Spinners and Winners video for the full top 5. And see how the context can sometimes really change the meaning. But that all important context may not be what you hear in those ads from Democrats in a few months.

- "Corporations are people my friend," Romney famously retorted in Iowa to a crowd questioning his corporate tax policies. He went on to explain that "everything corporations earn ultimately goes to people." But no matter. The damage was done.

- "I'm not concerned about the very poor." If you listen to the whole quote he was actually attempting to defend the middle class.

- And the number one quote that is likely to haunt Mitt Romney: "I like being able to fire people."