I don't believe that, because Pat was already a large figure among conservatives due to Nixon, the Watergate hearings and Crossfire. He didn't need his years in the Reagan White House to gain recognition.
Not really. Pat was never a major player in the conservative movement. His only real public exposure was on the PBS McLaughlin group and his newspaper column. Pat had a niche following but even that disappeared after he self-destructed during the 92 convention. I was an adult during the Nixon administration and I can’t even remember him as any kind of player. I sure as heck don’t remember him as anything in Reagan’s administrations.