Clinton and the Tax Hiker-in-Chief

Oct. 27, 2007 — -- Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Democratic presidential front-runner, will campaign this weekend with a man Republicans paint as the tax-hiker-in-chief.

At the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem Saturday morning, Clinton will be joined by her husband and one of her most important supporters, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., 77, a respected congressman and eminence grise both inside the Beltway and north of 125th Street. But the presence of Rangel is suddenly something of a political double-edged sword for the senator after Rangel unveiled a controversial tax plan this week.

Rangel, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, insists that his comprehensive tax reform bill (LINK) would "restore equity and fairness" into the tax system. "Ninety million taxpayers will walk away saying, 'I've got a decrease in taxes,'" he told reporters.

But by also proposing more than $1 trillion in tax increases, Rangel has handed Republicans a political issue to use against Democrats -- and Clinton -- even if the GOP officials don't quite paint the whole picture in their final computation, ignoring Rangel's proposed tax cuts for middle-class Americans and some businesses.

Rangel had referred to his bill, introduced Thursday morning, as "the mother of all tax reforms." But seizing on the tax increases in the bill, not the tax reductions, Republican House leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, instead called it "the mother of all tax hikes."

"You know, very seldom in politics do your opponents give you this kind of gift," said Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., the House minority whip. "Very seldom in politics do your opponents say, 'If we could just elect a president and if we can hold on to the House and Senate, here's what we're going to do: We're going to raise taxes.'''

"As our economy grapples with a housing downturn, the last thing we need is a tax increase," said Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.