http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com en http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/02/22/romney-previews-economic-speech-vows-pursue-simpler-tax-system In a preview of what is being billed as a major economic speech in Detroit later this week, Mitt Romney doubled down on his economic proposals Wednesday. Standing before a large and boisterous crowd in Chandler, Ariz., Romney promised to make the tax system "simpler, flatter, and fairer," by reducing individual rates by 20 percent across the board. If implemented, the top rate would drop from 35 percent to 28 percent, the same top rate Americans paid under President Reagan in 1986. To prevent Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:45:51 -0500 http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/02/22/santorum-mocks-romney-over-tax-plan TUCSON, Ariz. - Rick Santorum took a pre-debate dig at his GOP rival, claiming Mitt Romney's new tax plan looks an awful lot like the one Santorum has already rolled out. "I just saw today that Governor Romney announced that he was going to be lowering the tax rates to, well, the tax rate I proposed," Santorum quipped during a Tea Party rally in Tucson. "Welcome to the party, Governor. Great to have you along." Romney pledged Wednesday to slash tax rates for all Americans by 20% just hours Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:58:33 -0500 http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/02/22/super-pacs-target-romney-new-ads-michigan Two new ads released for broadcast in Michigan Wednesday are hitting Mitt Romney for his opposition to auto-industry bailouts as well as his record on spending. A sound bite of Romney stating, "Let Detroit go bankrupt," opens the latest ad from Priorities USA Action, a super PAC supporting President Obama.  The ad cites Romney’s record while he was in the private sector of profiting off investments in businesses which later failed. Romney’s use of the phrase "bankrupt" echoes Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:15:37 -0500 http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/02/22/threatening-letters-powdery-substance-sent-two-us-senate-offices   UPDATE 2:00pm ET:  Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer has just sent an updated e-mail to all Senate offices confirming that three total congressional offices have received threatening mails containing a powdery substance that has initially tested negative for containing a bio-agent and more letters could be on the way.   But the Gainer warning, obtained by Fox, makes clear, "The author of these letters has indicated that additional letters containing a powdery substance Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:01:23 -0500 http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/02/22/santorum-go-ahead-and-dig-my-speeches-religious-groups-im-staying-message Rick Santorum obliquely referenced reports Tuesday about his 2008 remarks at Ava Maria University in Florida in which he claimed Satan has his "sights" on the U.S. in a battle of good versus evil, and said he won't be distracted from his campaign message. "You guys, these are questions that are not relevant to what's being discussed in America today. What we're talking about in America today is trying to get America growing. That's what my speeches are about, that's what we're going to talk Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:24:31 -0500 http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/02/22/gingrich-planning-30-minute-tv-pitch-gas-prices-and-economy GOP hopeful Newt Gingrich is planning to release a 30-minute long video on gas prices and the economy, a senior adviser to Gingrich told Fox News. Gingrich quietly shot the video recently in Los Angeles. His campaign hopes the video highlights what they believe is their strength in the race: a long, substantive case against President Obama. The campaign is planning on buying ad time on local TV stations in key states to air the video. The adviser says the first planned purchase of the video is Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:09:00 -0500 http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/02/22/gingrich-makes-play-washington-state   Sidelining himself in Arizona and taking a light step in Michigan where Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are duking it out, Newt Gingrich is honing in on Washington State as the next place where he could notch a win. Washington holds its non-binding straw poll caucus on March 3. Forty-three delegates are up for grabs –- the most of any contest since the Florida primary and the last one before Super Tuesday.  “We’ll make a very diligent effort to win the caucus,” Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:22:44 -0500 http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/02/21/santorum-national-media-trying-destroy-gop-candidates PHOENIX, Ariz. - Rick Santorum launched a fierce new attack on the national media here for "tearing down" the field of GOP presidential hopefuls. "Will you be the generation that sat on the sidelines and watched as candidate after candidate comes up and the national media takes their axe out to try to destroy them in every way possible as they've done with every single Republican candidate, and as they will between now and the election?" Santorum asked during a campaign stop in Maricopa Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:29:13 -0500 http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/02/21/2012-race-cash-gop-takes-january The Republican presidential hopefuls, when combined with the Republican National Committee, outraised the total fundraising of President Obama and the DNC in January. When you add them all together the GOP presidential field and the RNC raised just north of $31.5 million in January of 2012. Meanwhile President Obama's re-election campaign team, when combined with the DNC, raised just under $29.3 million over the same period of time. It is worth noting that the Super PACs that are supporting the Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:19:55 -0500 http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/02/21/obama-address-aipac-conference President Obama will address a meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in early March. "The president welcomes this opportunity to speak to the strength of the special bonds between Israel and the United States," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday. Mr. Obama has spoken to the group in the past and this speech comes at amid concerns that Iran will develop a nuclear weapon that would threaten Israel's existence. Defense Secretary Leon Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:15:45 -0500