Roger Ailes, GOP Mastermind

Ailes – known on the Reagan team as “Dr. Feelgood” – told the Gipper to ditch the facts and figures. "You didn’t get elected on details," he told the president. "You got elected on themes." He armed Reagan with a one-liner to beat back any question about his mental agility – and the president’s delivery was pitch-perfect. "I want you to understand that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign," Reagan winked. "I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience."

Read: How Roger Ailes Built the Fox News Fear Factory