Romney doubles down

Romney defends donor comment, says more jobs will mean more paying taxes

Romney, in his press conference, called for some context and urged for the full tape to be released -- which Mother Jones did Tuesday afternoon.

But he went on to echo largely his original remarks.

I recognize that among those that pay no tax, approximately 47 percent of Americans, I'm not likely to be highly successful with the message of lowering taxes. That's not as attractive to those who don't pay income taxes as it is to those who do. And likewise those who are reliant on government are not as attracted to my message of slimming down the size of government. And so I then focus on those individuals who I believe are most likely to be able to be pulled into my camp."?

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/09/18/romney-sticks-by-...

Meanwhile

Obama Widens Lead in Polls as Romney Faces Challenges

In the poll, Obama led Romney by 50 percent to 45 percent among Americans judged "likely" to vote by Peter Hart and Bill McInturff, who conducted the NBC/WSJ survey.

The Democratic incumbent also reached the 50 percent mark, to Romney's 44 percent, among the larger group of all registered voters.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/49073716

Steve