> *How* Republican, though? I've always been under the impression that your average California Republican is not the same thing as your average Republican from somewhere else in the country. I've always thought that those who called themselves Republican in California were noticeably (I don't mean significantly, though) to the left of Republican standards?

I don't know exactly how I can measure this. Honestly, to me the differences between the Republicans and the Democrats have become very slight; I don't see a huge gap between the two parties. I also know, TOM, that you disagree with me on this.

My impression is that San Diego is pretty centrist, just slightly right-wing, and Orange County is more pretty solidly to the right of most. Somebody like Richard Riordan, who tried running for governor as a Republican and is a former mayor of Los Angeles, strikes me as a very leftist Republican. But our congressmen in San Diego strike me as being pretty solid Republicans.

And, yeah, Reagan was insanely popular in California.

Stephen