Friedman claimed government intervention harmed even the groups the Right usually blames for benefiting.

Evidence

In a rejoinder to the common assumption that market advocates were allies of big business and the wealthy, Friedman was careful to emphasize the injurious effects of the po liti cal pro cess on consumers, the uneducated, and the poor. The implicit conclusion was that more or less everyone— even those commonly criticized by the Right for benefi ting at the expense of others— was harmed when the government intervened. — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion, 482

Categorization

• XREF: Frames market advocacy not as pro-business but as protection of consumers and the poor — a rhetorical inversion that persists in austerity discourse. — connects to: Friedman argued politicians’ rational self-interest systematically harms consumers, the poor, and the uneducated. — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 481; Wrongdoers blame regulation for harm that deregulation enabled.; Milton Friedman blamed big businessmen and intellectuals for threatening free markets — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 488

Broader Connections

• Milton Friedman blamed big businessmen and intellectuals for threatening free markets #expands (0.85) — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion, 488
• Wrongdoers blame regulation for harm that deregulation enabled. #complicates (0.80)