In the most literal sense, I agree. There was the think tank springing out of the cadre of Nixon loyalists. But until Ronald Reagan showed up as the reassuring white face to make the travesties go down like sugar -- I mean, absurdities like "trickle down" that was just nutty on its face -- they could not press "go" on what all these privileged white, really none too smart outside their particular focus of interest types, until Reagan became their mascot, they were all too ugly, faux erudite and smug to go public, putting it in motion.