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The Senate Wednesday voted to defeat a highly controversial House budget plan for fiscal year 2012 that quickly registered as a liability with voters for lawmakers that supported it. But, in an omission that could also be controversial, Senate Democrats have failed to produce their own plan for getting the nation back on a sustainable fiscal path.

Democrats voted unanimously to defeat the House budget plan, drafted by Rep. Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin, which would cut $4.4 trillion in spending over 10 years and reduce Medicare to a government subsidy to purchase private insurance.

They were joined by five Republicans, Sens. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, both of Maine. The measure failed 40 to 57.

The president鈥檚 budget, deemed a nonstarter because it projects a $1.1 trillion deficit for FY 2012, failed to win a single vote from either party. Proposals by Sens. Pat Toomey (R) of Senate and Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky also failed.

Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D) of Nevada called the vote a victory for priorities.

鈥淭he Ryan plan ends Medicare as we know it and breaks a solemn promise 鈥� that if you work hard and contribute, Americans will make sure you are protected in your golden years,鈥� he said on the floor before the vote.

Medicare and New York's special election

The defeat on the Senate floor comes on the heels of an upset win for Democrat Kathy Hochul in a special election Tuesday on traditional GOP turf in New York鈥檚 26th congressional district. Her come-from-behind campaign was waged mainly on the threat to Medicare in the Ryan budget.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D) of New York calls defeat of the Ryan budget 鈥渢he first serious step鈥� toward a bipartisan budget agreement.

鈥淭he only way we are going to get a real budget is by Democrats and Republicans sitting down together,鈥� he said in a conference call with reporters on Monday.

鈥淚f you may remember, when we had the vote on H.R. 1, and it was defeated roundly, it helped many in the GOP understand that they're going to have to work together on a bipartisan strategy,鈥� he added, invoking the defeat of a House bill to fund the balance of FY 2011, also gridlocked.

But Republicans charge that Democrats are simply avoiding the responsibility of laying out a plan of their own for FY 2012 spending, including specifying how they will rein in deficits.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a shocking display of irresponsibility,鈥� said Sen. Jeff Sessions (R) of Alabama, after the vote. 鈥淭hey have said: we鈥檙e not going to produce anything. We鈥檙e just going to attack what you鈥檝e done.鈥�

The Senate Budget Committee has not marked up its own vision for the current fiscal year and beyond, even though the congressional budget process requires the Senate panel to report a budget resolution by April 1 and the Congress to complete action on a budget resolution by April 15.

Waiting for the 'Gang of Five'

Questioned on the absence of a Senate plan after today鈥檚 vote, Senator Reid said that Democrats haven鈥檛 produced their own budget in deference to ongoing bipartisan talks in the so-called Gang of Five and the leadership group led by Vice President Biden.

鈥淚f something happens with the Gang of Five or bipartisan group we have to have an instrument to get to the floor,鈥� he said.

But Republicans and some independent analysts say that it鈥檚 a risk for Democrats to try to ride out the FY 2012 budget debate.

鈥淧olitically, it鈥檚 a problem for Democrats,鈥� says Julian Zelizer, a congressional historian at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. 鈥淭here are economic and budget problems that are very real, and the polls show that voters care about this.鈥�

鈥�Democrats can try to avoid controversial votes but there鈥檚 a cost to that,鈥� he adds. 鈥淵ou can avoid tough votes [on a Democrat budget plan], but it gives Republicans the opportunity to fill in the blanks and say what Democrats are about. It鈥檚 an unhappy electorate. Being quiet and just playing defense for the next year won鈥檛 necessarily work.鈥�