Friedman’s rhetorical power fused critique of the present with utopian promise

Evidence

Friedman could channel the opposing languages of the critic and the visionary, the realist and the utopian. He appealed simultaneously to dissatisfaction with the status quo and the desire for a deus ex machina, and he ensured that his gloom about his ideological opponents’ policies was always tempered by a visceral excitement at the alternatives he proposed. — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion, 492

Categorization

• XREF: This double-voiced rhetoric parallels the persuasive techniques analyzed elsewhere in propaganda and ideology studies. — connects to: Friedman’s rhetorical gifts made him uniquely persuasive among economists — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 470; Friedman coupled a utopian philosophy with strategic attention to practical goals — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 495; Friedman deliberately targeted students as the vehicle for generational political change — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 556 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Friedman deliberately balanced utopian ideals against incremental politically feasible proposals #complicates (0.82) — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion, 493
• Friedman’s rise marked a shift from Hayekian sensibility to a public-facing rhetorical mode #expands (0.78) — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion, 385