Dem U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen says he feels no threat from the results of yesterday's Massachusetts election because he is an outsider like Sen.-elect Scott Brown.

"I am confident, I am on their side." Kagen said of his constituents. "I think anyone would be happy for the people of Massachusetts because their viewpoints will now be expressed. It is upon Senator Brown to carry out the will of the people."

National pundits have predicted Brown's election would mean the death of the health care bill that Dems have been trying to shepherd through Congress now that Republicans will have enough votes in the Senate to sustain a filibuster.

But Kagen, D-Appleton, took a different approach during a conference call with reporters, saying he looks "forward to the Republicans sharing the responsibility" of making a bill that is beneficial for everyone.

"It is a good bill and it keeps on getting better," Kagen said.

He stressed the importance of creating a competetive health care system in which insurance companies compete to give Americans affordable health care and said he is not concerned that the fundamental pieces of the current bill will be disrupted because of yesterday's results.

Kagen also stressed the importance of the safety and health of Americans who are in Haiti. The second priority is to identify those children in orphanages who are currently in the process of being adopted by American families.

"With the total collapse of government in Haiti, it is incumbent upon our government to move these children to safety as soon as possible," he said.

He said he has been working hard with the State Department to make sure they get to their new families soon, adding that the adoption process for Wisconsin families who were already involved in adopting a Haitian child has been sped up.

- By Eva PenzeyMoog

UPDATE: U.S. Rep. Tom Petri, R-Fond du Lac, called Brown's victory "nearly unprecedented" in a statement.

"This is a real wake-up call," Petri said. "I just hope people respond and we get down to more seriously working together here in Washington in a sensible way on our nation's problems."

U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Milwaukee, did not address Brown by name, but said in a statement he hopes to "find a way back to bipartisanship and progress" on health care reform legislation.

"That's what the people of Wisconsin have called for and deserve," Kohl said.