I don't think that they are pro-Republican; I just think they are anti-liberal Democrat.
But let's not forget that WV was one of the few states that voted for Michael Dukakis. How many times were people constantly reminded of his liberalism during that election?
Dukakis only won WV because of Caperton's coattails though.
Besides being a "liberal" isn't a problem in WV (look at Senator Rockefeller), the problem comes when a liberal campaigns on wedge issues instead of bread and butter issues and is seen as too anti-military.
"Liberal" is such a confusing word in the US really...but being left-winged on economics certainly isn't a problem in WV, on the contrary. It's, as you say, being too elitist, socially liberal and, perhaps above all, "weak" in a broad sense.
