Emmer concedes: the buzz, the take

I, like two thirds of Minnesotans, thought it was time for Tom Emmer to concede.

He obliged us Wednesday. Like other media observers, I thought he went out with a lot of class. He made the concession from his home in Delano with family and friends around.

It was a close election, no doubt. And here's hoping that both sides are finally realizing people want both sides to cooperate and solve problems. An election is almost never a mandate in Minnesota.

The Republican Party needs some patching up, and as I mentioned in a previous post, some healing or fixing of the public and media relations machine.

Although Dayton may have underwhelmed a lot of people, even those who voted for him, he'll likely bring a real different set of tools with him. It's been a while since he's been an executive, but he seemed capable of that at the one debate I hosted with him.

He's thoughtful, and seems to have a real plan in place for compromising with Republican Legislature.

There will be new relationships all around, and that should be good for taxpayers. Sometimes old relationships carry with them old baggage that the two sides just can't let go of.