The following fact(oids) were collected from Time Magazine, Talking Points Memo, The New York Daily News, Albany Times-Union, Americablog, et al. If you believe any of them are in error, please provide some counter-examples in the comments.
So: Our newly-appointed Senator Gillibrand...
* Described her own voting record as "one of the most conservative in the state";
* As a corporate lawyer, represented cigarette-maker Phillip Morris; the company (now Altria) donated $17,000 to her '08 campaign;
* Clerked for a Court of Appeals judge appointed by Ronald Reagan and also worked for a summer for former Senator Alfonse D'Amato;
* Supported a $100 billion bill to continue the Iraq war, without the timeline for withdrawal preferred by most Democrats (even Hillary voted against this one);
* Wants to "crack down on illegals," closing the border with Mexico and adding 8,000 agents, denying amnesty to anyone already in the country, denying Federal contracts to anyone who has employed illegal aliens, etc.;
* Has been described by New York advocates and elected officials as having "deeply troubling" attitude toward immigrants which "border on xenophobic";
* Has a 100% rating from the NRA, taking her stance on "gun rights" well beyond basic protections into the realm of support for assault weapons, exploding bullets, etc.;
* Voted to give legal immunity to telecoms who had participated in the Bush wiretap fiasco, reversing her earlier position -- after receiving telecom donations;
* Was the only House Dem who voted against a 2008 proposal to help states purchase foreclosed homes and resell them at discounts to low-income families;
* Is the daughter of a Republican-tied lobbyist who had a real estate partner- ship with just-indicted Joe Bruno, and the granddaughter of key figures in the Corning political machine in Albany;
* Has the lowest rating on gay rights issues of any New York Democratic congressman, voting for example against the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" policies in the military, against granting equal tax treatment for employer-provided health coverage for domestic partners, opposing legislation to grant same-sex partners the same immigration benefits of married couples and opposing legislation to permit state Medicaid programs to cover low-income, HIV-positive Americans before they develop AIDS;
* Is a member of the "Blue Dog" coalition of Congressional Democrats who often vote as a bloc with the GOP to force the Dems further to the right.
And that's what we know on Day 1. What will we learn next?