We may have a long night on our hands in the Evergreen State. In the meantime, it's never too late to get started on post-Election reading. Regardless of how things far, the GOP is going to have repair work to do nationally...though may be a bit ahead of that curve locally, regardless of how specific races play out in coming days.

Accordingly, I recommend these two pieces for now:

1) A Kimberley Strassel column on the future of the GOP. There are some debatable points, but a couple passages stand true:

Reagan's other great strength was not distinguishing between red and blue America. He offered a set of principles, and invited anyone who broadly subscribed to those principles into his political house. The result was that unlikely coalition of fiscal conservatives, defense hawks and social conservatives. These were the days of Reagan Democrats, of victories in states that now seem unwinnable to the GOP.

The further Republicans have moved away from this playbook, the further its fortunes have declined. The GOP was thrown out in 2006 because it had failed to evolve on the new issues facing Americans -- spiraling health-care costs, dwindling energy supplies, out-of-control entitlements. It spent its last years divvying up pork. As it has hit the electoral rocks, the party has also turned inward, harping on immigrants and gay marriage.

The ultimate point being that Republicans have to craft an agenda that speaks to the concerns of the American people in a proactive manner. Congressional Republicans writ large have failed miserably at that in recent years. Thus, the need for this:

The other option is for the GOP to start elevating the new generation of reformers -- folks like Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor or Wisconsin's Paul Ryan. With them comes a new intellectual focus on today's issues. (See Mr. Ryan's recent blueprint for reforming taxes, entitlements and health care.) The Republican high point this year was when the party united to fix the energy mess. That ought to tell it something.

Amen.

2) Coverage of how a psychologist has helped Democrats across the country articulate their message in a more appealing way to voters. I mention it in part because I believe a significant reason Democrats have swept many suburban legislative districts around the state in recent years is because they have mastered such tactics better. Some Republican challengers are now stepping up to the plate and appear to have substantially improved that gap in this cycle.

It's not just your ideas that matter, it's articulating them to the electorate in a way that resonates. Example: Obama's emphasis this year on his tax cuts to the middle class, coupled with his sustained attacks on McCain's health care plan. By the end of it, Obama nearly wiped out the Republican advantage on taxes among independents, until Joe the Plumber reignited the discussion in a little different way (though probably too late to have a real impact).