[snowwrestler]

To me it seems like this can also cut the other way, with some people assigning any positive results to the efforts of powerful people with whom they agree.

An example is the belief that economic growth results directly from government policy and actions. This is true to some extent, in that the government must enforce fair dealing. But we learned in the 20th century that economies that are too centrally directed will fall behind those that allow emergent behavior in an open marketplace.