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  Betty Ireland Not Ready for Republican Nomination for Governor
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ContributorCOSDem 
Last EditedCOSDem  Feb 12, 2011 02:19pm
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CategoryEditorial
News DateSaturday, February 12, 2011 08:00:00 PM UTC0:0
DescriptionTherein lies the difficulty. Because this is a contested Republican primary, Ireland may not have a decided advantage to her candidacy. The very qualities that make Ireland herself—her brashness, her flying elbows to secure a seat at the table—are actually negatives in a GOP primary. Republicans across West Virginia admire strength, resolve, and good leadership capacity. But they prefer the secure, quiet type, not the pushy egotist.

Ireland’s worst problem may be her lack of a coherent agenda. Ireland is always involved in some new business project, from Jackson and Kelly Business Solutions to a Morgantown consortium to, most recently, Matrix. We don’t know what she has accomplished in any of these ventures, as she never gives details. Maybe sometime during this election year she will. We’re sure that Ireland is capable in such business scenarios; we just have never heard of any results.

So what emerges from Ireland’s campaign announcements is a vague pro-business position and a bland statement that “we can do better.” How so? By electing Betty Ireland, of course. Apparently, we’re supposed to just take her word on it. Again, the election season is early, so perhaps Ireland will finally flesh out her agenda, because we’re not sure Ireland will benefit from a contest that is purely a personality contest.

Finally, Ireland seems an odd fit for the new Republican Party, informed as it is by the Tea Party movement across West Virginia. Can anyone really imagine Ireland announcing across-the-board budget cuts as Governor? Moreover, Ireland is decidedly uncomfortable with her own party’s social issues, like the pro-life, pro-family, and pro-gun audiences
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