Is it possible that a wealthy Republican could walk downstairs in the morning dressed for Aspen, then look out the front door and realize he’s in Miami Beach?

Apparently. Multi-home disorientation is one of those problems that has been kept off the pop-psyche tracking charts. Dr. Phil has yet to confront it.

But it is here, and it is causing embarrassment locally and nationally. Already, couples who aren’t wealthy but possibly Republican are sitting down with the paperwork of their lives and asking themselves what is suddenly a cutting edge social question. It is best answered early to avoid awkward moments over cocktails:

Just how many homes do we own?

For most, after all the papers have been checked, the answer is clear — one or none. And there is a fair certainty that there will be no beachfront or mountainside surprises popping up on the tax rolls to leave them open to accusations of secret home concealment.

But for some, the problem is very real and can lead to the appearance of real estate excess.

John McCain, the presidential candidate, helped to bring national attention to the problem when he was asked on the campaign trail how many homes he and his wife, Cindy, own.

McCain didn’t know. Most people do. In a campaign year, it is not a good thing to appear so privileged that you don’t know how privileged you are.

It turns out the McCains have eight sets of digs — eight sets of house keys, dog dishes, garage door openers, dinner plates, electric hedge trimmers and cement garden statues. That’s a heap of living space, and the total square footage will be added up and hung out on the campaign line until November.

In Rhode Island, Governor Carcieri enters the Republican dwelling derby with an impressive number of five, which is more than most of his constituents. But the governor also reveals another unsettling aspect of multi-home disorientation. It’s the fact that five dwellings equal five tax bills.

Last week, the governor had to send more than $12,000 to the southernmost of his holdings to settle unpaid taxes for 2006 and 2007. The delinquent taxes were on one of the two condominiums he and his wife own at the Sandpebble Beach complex on Hutchinson Island in Stuart, Fla.

This is not good. Multi-home disorientation can be a problem for anyone who feels the need to drop a bundle in pursuit of Zip Code diversity. There is always that possibility of a hazy wakeup and a false assumption of being in the cold weather getaway instead of the warm weather one. Walking into the Florida sunshine in heavy fleece and hiking boots could make a man feel silly.

But for a public official, there is an additional risk. There is the risk of having the hard work of government opened up to the nasty snicker of the hard-pressed citizen.

Carcieri is in the middle of a tough and impassioned struggle to close a huge budget gap, and a big part of his solution is to cut state workers and require others to pay more for their health insurance. There probably couldn’t be a worse time for him to show up on the delinquent taxpayer rolls in Florida. The beleaguered state worker might suggest that the governor get his own house, or houses, in order before calling for heavy financial sacrifice from others.

Carcieri says the tardy tax payment was due to the bills and delinquent notices being sent to the wrong address.

Au contraire, say officials in Florida. Records were checked and the address was correct. They got a chuckle out of it down there in the Sunshine State, they say. They’ve heard it all before.

Perhaps if the Carcieris owned just four homes, this might not have happened. Or if they wanted to cut back to just three, it probably would make it much easier to pay the bills on time.

But maybe when you’re just two homes short of having a home for every day of the week, it’s tough to think about anything but number six.

bkerr@projo.com