The SF Bay Area is the political polar opposite of how you describe your part of Ohio ... We've lived here long enough that our kids who were just about to begin school when we moved in, are now the age I was when we arrived ... we're in the burbs where there is about a 50/50 overall mix ... heavy Repub in some areas, but not many ... in SF itself and in the vast majority of the East Bay, politics are so liberal that even your average Democrat is considered a conservative ... Berkeley is the worst in the nation and is so far to the left it's earned the nickname "Peoples Republic of Berkeley" ...
It's daunting, to say the least. I empathize with Rick's position here on the board, because in this area, I'm as much like the Maytag repairman as he is on the board ... it's bad enough that I feel most times as if it's a waste of time to vote, because I know I'm spitting into the wind, but I vote anyway because there are guys who've fought and died (and others who're currently doing so) for me to have the right to do so ... how, for example, could I tell my son I didn't take the time to vote after he took time to serve as he did in the military?
Staighten out California ?? ... in my dreams sir, in my dreams.