Time to Push for Tax 'Fairness,' Democrats Say January 25, 2012, 3:04 pm This time they're really serious. Senate Democratic leaders proclaimed resolutely that they are resolute about making the rich pay their fair share in taxes. "The president is leading us in the right direction on this debate," said Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic whip. "If you're wondering what our agenda will be this year, you pretty much heard it last night," said Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, extolling President Obama's State of the Union address and his repeated calls for tax "fairness." This may come as something of a surprise for Congress watchers. After all, the Democrats controlled Congress and the White House for two years. During that time, the party failed to change the rules on "carried interest" to ensure that private equity titans pay more than a 15-percent tax rate on fees reaped from their investor clients. Democrats hardly mentioned raising the 15-percent tax rates on dividends and capital gains, the biggest reason the superrich pay less of their income in taxes than many middle class families. So what has changed? Mitt Romney and his just-released tax return "All you have to do is look at the former governor of Massachusetts" tax return to understand why this is an emergency now," said the majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada. Mr. Schumer was a little less direct and a little cuter about it: "It is a priority for us to act on some kind of Romney, err, I mean, Buffett Rule," he said, nudge, nudge, wink, wink.