Assistance, in the form of a public forum, granted to a washed-up, discredited, or deranged conservative figure. Typically provided by right-wing media outlets, but often provided by mainstream media outlets for the sake of appearing to be "balanced".
- Fox News is a primary supplier of wingnut welfare, giving copious amounts of airtime to the likes of Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove, Rudy Giuliani, and Sarah Palin.
- Charles Krauthammer, Cal Thomas, and Bill O'Reilly wouldn't have their weekly columns in respectable newspapers if not for wingnut welfare.
A name given to a person who has ears that stick out the side (at a greater angle than is usual) like little wings on their head. Sort of reminiscent of those little nuts that are easy to screw because of their wing-like attatchments, also called "wing nuts".
This is how it is used by some people in New Zealand anyway.