--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's been a 40-year effort on the far…" description: "\"There's been a 40-year effort on the far right to build up think tanks, academic programs, advocacy groups, to push a particular ideology. That's reall..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/jane-mayer-1031_academic_there-s-been-a-40-year-effort-on-the-far_2351106.png" --- # There's been a 40-year effort on the far right to build up… ![“There's been a 40-year effort on the far right to build up think tanks, academic programs, advocacy groups, to push a particular ideology. That's really where the impact is that people don't see.” quote by Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/jane-mayer-1031_academic_there-s-been-a-40-year-effort-on-the-far_2351106.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/jane-mayer-1031_academic_there-s-been-a-40-year-effort-on-the-far_2351106.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/jane-mayer-1031_academic_there-s-been-a-40-year-effort-on-the-far_2351106.png) > “There's been a 40-year effort on the far right to build up think tanks, academic programs, advocacy groups, to push a particular ideology. That's really where the impact is that people don't see.” [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A decades‑long strategy builds influence through institutions, making the ideology’s impact invisible to the public. **In simple terms:** Think tanks and groups quietly spread an agenda over years. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden influence networks. Themes politics media influence ideology strategy Mood critical inquisitive cautious Type analytical skeptical When to use this quote - policy making - academic research - public discourse - activism - media analysis Key Concepts propaganda institutional power Questions to Reflect On - Who benefits from unseen ideological control? - How can transparency be increased? A Different Perspective Such networks can also foster echo chambers and suppress dissent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Academic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academic/) [Advocacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advocacy/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Far right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/far-right/) [Ideology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideology/) [Impact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impact/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Tanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tanks/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Washington, D.C. is full of think tanks, theoreticians and advocacy groups. Governors are the ones whose feet are on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-bredesen/washington-d-c-is-full-of-think-tanks-theoreticians-and-advocacy/) [Phil Bredesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-bredesen/) > [I think the scary thing is that there is in place already a sprawling infrastructure of advocacy groups, think tanks, academics and candidates and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/i-think-the-scary-thing-is-that-there-is-in-place-already-a-sprawling/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [Succinct, thorough, and masterfully researched-Thomas Medvetz has written a subtle and timely history of these fixtures of public debate in the United States. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lemert/succinct-thorough-and-masterfully-researched-thomas-medvetz-has/) Charles Lemert > [Scratch the surface at conservative think tanks and universities that house free-market economists, and it's not hard to find proponents of a carbon tax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-easton/scratch-the-surface-at-conservative-think-tanks-and-universities-that/) [Nina Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-easton/) > [Think tanks are chiefly supposed to provide independent expertise to policymakers. But they also seek to be politically relevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bari-weiss/think-tanks-are-chiefly-supposed-to-provide-independent-expertise-to/) [Bari Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bari-weiss/) > [Think tanks do have points of view, and they are absolutely entitled to defend them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/think-tanks-do-have-points-of-view-and-they-are-absolutely-entitled/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [When the so-called think tanks began to replace the thought processes of human beings, I called them the aseptic tanks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/when-the-so-called-think-tanks-began-to-replace-the-thought-processes/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [But the thought leaders on talk radio and Fox do more than shape opinion. 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But there is an emerging intellectual set coming out of Washington think tanks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/i-think-the-universities-have-co-opted-the-intellectual-by-and-large/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) > [My understanding is that Exxon, in particular, did fund a variety of small think tanks to generate what amounts to propaganda against understanding of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-holdren/my-understanding-is-that-exxon-in-particular-did-fund-a-variety-of/) [John Holdren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-holdren/) ## More by Jane Mayer > [“David Brock, a conservative apostate who became a liberal activist, described the Heritage Foundation, where he was a young fellow, as almost completely under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/david-brock-a-conservative-apostate-who-became-a-liberal-activist/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“The early think tank was not a spy operation, but it was funded by wealthy men who had no objections to using pretexts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/the-early-think-tank-was-not-a-spy-operation-but-it-was-funded-by/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“Americans for Prosperity annoyed some of the Tea Partiers,” recalls the libertarian blogger Ralph Benko. “These people drove up, opened the door, put T-shirts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/americans-for-prosperity-annoyed-some-of-the-tea-partiers-recalls-the/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“When Barack Obama took office, the fossil fuel industry was not only eager to preserve its perks but also more militant in its opposition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/when-barack-obama-took-office-the-fossil-fuel-industry-was-not-only/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [If you have an informed electorate, it makes great choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/if-you-have-an-informed-electorate-it-makes-great-choices/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [ One of the oddities of this election is the man that \[Donald\] Trump chose as his vice-president, Mike Pence, is one of the Kochs'… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/one-of-the-oddities-of-this-election-is-the-man-that-donald-trump/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“The candidates promised to cut taxes for those in the highest brackets, preserve Wall Street loopholes, tolerate the off-shoring of manufacturing jobs and profits,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/the-candidates-promised-to-cut-taxes-for-those-in-the-highest/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“Amway in fact was structured to avoid federal taxes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/amway-in-fact-was-structured-to-avoid-federal-taxes/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [“radicals in Congress refused to back down, bringing virtually the entire federal government to a halt for sixteen days in October, leaving the country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mayer/radicals-in-congress-refused-to-back-down-bringing-virtually-the/) [Jane Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mayer/) > [What I write about is how much influence it's had in things like state legislatures and governorships and congressional races. 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