Minnesota has a new governor.

Minnesota has a new speaker.

Minnesota has new majority leaders and minority leaders.

The Minnesota Legislature has new leaders in every position of authority. And it has 33 freshman legislators.

Let’s hope the new blood results in a decrease in partisan bickering, which has been modus operandi in St. Paul for years. In fact, partisan bickering can be cited as a reason for the election of Jesse Ventura to governor. The parties didn’t learn their lesson then. Perhaps the new faces at the Capitol will bring the much-needed change in atmosphere.

Let’s get down to business and find the middle ground. Yes, “compromise” has become a dirty word, but the fact remains that compromise is how democracy works. The concept of sharing power is why democracy succeeds. But that means compromise — everyone gets some of what they want and some of what they don’t want.

As state lawmakers convene to address a projected state deficit of $6.2 billion, disagreement on taxes and the budget will continue. And some news media outlets will attempt to make divides seem wider and conflicts seem bigger than they really are.

With a Democrat in the governor’s office and Republicans running the House and Senate, everything is the opposite of the previous legislative session.

But that doesn’t mean it needs to act anything like the previous legislative session.

The middle ground is there, if only legislators seek it. Playing partisan chicken all the way up to the session deadline only produces rushed results and more finger-pointing.

Let’s stop mimicking Washington and be civil Minnesotans this year.