First, a little history: in 1993, President Clinton unveiled his agressive (actual) deficit reduction package and the Democratic leadership incorporated it into that year's budget. It
GASP called for some tax increases on higher-earners, and was reviled by the GOP leadership. Clinton's popularity at the time was in the doldrums, and the Republicans saw blood in the water. They unanimously opposed the budget--not a single Republican in either the House or Senate voted for it, and it passed with nary a vote to spare in either chamber (Vice President Al Gore broke a 50-50 tie in the Senate, and the House vote was 218-216).
In the House, the deciding vote was cast by a wavering obscure first term Congresswoman from suburban Philadelphia named Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky. She had made history in 1992 by capturing a wealthy Main Line district that had been in Republican hands since the civil war. She cast her vote in 1993, putting party (and, as would be proven over the long term, the good of the nation) over her consituents. In 1994, Margolies-Mezvinsky became one of many incumbent Dems to be defeated on the GOP's way to a 54-seat gain and a majority, getting trounced by a dim bulb named Jon Fox. The moral: budget votes matter, and voters do remember them.
Flash forward to November 17, 2005. The Republicans propose an unpopular budget which hurts more or less everyone who is not a multimillionaire trust-fund baby (in the name of deficit reduction). This budget was (rightly) reviled by the Dem leadership. Bush's popularity is in the doldrums, and the Democrats saw blood in the water. They unanimously opposed the budget--not a single Democrat in the House voted for it, and it passed with nary a vote to spare: 217-215. Joining the Dems were 14 GOPers, most of whom are vulnerable in 2006. But the party has many more than 14 vulnerable incumbents, most of whom cast a vote for party over their constituents. Our job now is to ensure that these folks suffer the same fate as Rep. Margolies-Mezvinsky:
Rep. Mike Sodrel (IN-09) (Voting against farmers and college students isn't going to help him in this district)
Rep. Dave Reichert (WA-08) (Voting to save ANWR won't save him from the ire of his moderate, suburban constituents)
Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08) (Enjoy defending this budget to the rapidly-turning-blue Philly suburbanites)
Rep. Charles Taylor (NC-11) (Few vulnerable GOPers have districts that will be hit as hard as Taylor's will)
Rep. Jon Hostettler (IN-09) (Congratulations! You have given the Katrina vote story legs)
Rep. Tom DeLay (TX-22) (OK, so the budget vote is the least of his worries...)
Rep. Clay Shaw (FL-22)
Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (CO-04)
Rep. Randy Kuhl (NY-29)
Rep. Chris Chocola (IN-02)
Rep. Charles Bass (NH-02)
Rep. Robin Hayes (NC-08)
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (MI-11)
Rep. Rick Renzi (AZ-01)
Rep. Mike Ferguson (NJ-07)
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (WV-02)
Rep. John Kline (MN-02)
Rep. Thelma Drake (VA-02)
Rep. Jeb Bradley (NH-01)
Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15)
and many more.