One legitimate criticism of elected officials is that far too often they confuse being pro-business with being pro-free market. And a shaky understanding of the relationship between public policy and economics can lead to serious unintended consequences, especially when politics holds sway.
For instance, an elected official may support some policy in the name of being “pro-business” when it only benefits some narrow range of interests. This is what leads to “cronyism” — and cronyism is neither pro-business nor free-market.
