Wendy Long, who easily won the Republican nomination to challenge Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in November, is usually described in the media as a "conservative judicial activist."
That refers to her five years (2005-10) of working for the Religious Right-founded and funded Judicial Confirmation Network, which became the Judicial Crisis Network after Obama's election.
Where she did RW agitprop like this clumsy Rezko-Ayers-Wright ad, aired in Michigan and Ohio in 2008:
Long fancies herself a Reagan conservative, telling her crowd of supporters on Primary Night: "I think the way we win in this state is by being a Ronald Reagan Republican, and Ronald Reagan didn't pursue some middle-of-the-road strategy. He was a true-blue conservative, which is exactly what I am."
Wingnut Wendy is actually well to the right of Reagan, as is evident by the national-level endorsers of her primary campaign.
Details, below.
Wingut Wendy is a John Bolton kind of conservative -- Bolton, a proud protege of Jesse Helms, was the first major national type to endorse Long. Bolton, a chickenhawk during the Vietnam War, has been a consistent warhawk throughout his public/private career since then. Lately, he is the most prominent advocate of pre-emptive war with Iran, on Fox "News" and Republican radio, anyway.
So Wingnut Wendy is presumably the more war candidate.
Wingnut Wendy is a Steve Forbes kind of conservative -- Forbes, who also avoided the Vietnam draft like many sons of multi-millionaires, has become a prominent advocate for cutting taxes on multi-millionaires like himself. Forbes was a hapless candidate for the GOP presidential nomination in 1996 and 2000, running on a flat-tax platform.
So Wingnut Wendy presumably wants to reduce taxes on the rich even more, and increase taxes on most others.
Wingnut Wendy is a Sean Hannity kind of conservative -- A relentlessly anti-Democrat radio and TV host, Hannity endorsed Long at a private Conservative Party fund-raiser and then on his radio show.
So Wingnut Wendy presumably agrees with Hannity's many lies about Democrats.
Wingnut Wendy is a Rupert Murdoch kind of conservative -- Murdoch's money-pit New York Post endorsed Long, citing her endorsements by "leading national political figures" like Bolton and Forbes.
Wingnut Wendy presumably approves of the political influence that a right-wing Australian media baron billionaire has bought cheaply on three continents, by endorsing people like her.
Wingnut Wendy is a Grover Norquist kind of conservative -- Norquist knows Long from the D.C. wingnut welfare network, and got involved when one of Long's primary opponents heretically said that tax increases may be necessary to reduce the deficit. Long is committed to the Norquist no-tax-hikes-ever pledge, which means the deficit/debt problem will never be resolved short of dismantling the federal government. Norquist told his list of e-mail suckers that the Gillibrand-Long race "will make national headlines as a commonsense conservative woman takes on the darling of the Far Left." Norquist lies like Romney -- second-nature because they've been lying for a living for decades
Wingnut Wendy presumably wants to eliminate most government social programs, very much including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Wingnut Wendy is a National Organization for Marriage kind of conservative -- NOM, the big-money, high-profile, anti-marriage equality outfit, endorsed Long the day before the primary. Probably too late to make any difference, since the few who voted in the primary had already decided by Monday.
Wingnut Wendy is an ultra-Catholic, like most of NOM's funders. In the one primary debate, Wingnut Wendy said she would refuse to attend a gay wedding. As with Norquist, NOM knows Wingnut Wendy from way back.
Finally, Wingnut Wendy is a Clarence Thomas kind of conservative -- Thomas could not endorse her, though he would if it were semi-legal. Long, who clerked for Thomas, has certainly endorsed him. According to Long, Thomas is the "greatest living American."
Wingnut Wendy may think the most-wingnut, least-accomplished Supreme Court justice is the "greatest living American," but any poll asking that question, with no hints, would find Thomas way down, more likely not on, the list.
So that's the kind of conservative Wendy Long is -- a wingnut, Bolton, Forbes, Hannity, Murdoch, Norquist, NOM, Thomas conservative.
Wingnut Wendy will not go to the center in the general election campaign, because she really can't.
Wingnut Wendy is who she is, the most conservative statewide NY candidate in at least 42 years.
About 20 percent of New York voters are very conservative, another 10 or so will vote for any Republican, but a wingnut like Wendy has no chance of attracting any significant number of independents or moderate Democrats.
So the great Wendy Long extremist experiment, running an unapologetic tea party/Religious Right wingnut in a deep-blue state during a presidential year, will end in tears and gnashing of teeth in November.
Guaranteed.