The “people” have a tremendous amount if power IF THEY USE IT.
Most non-presidential elections have abysmal turnouts.
How many people attend their local party events and get involved? Very few. Then they bitch about who is running for office.
People need to get informed on the issues and get involved at the grassroots level. That is if they want to have an effect.
My bottom line opinion is that most people are content to complain, but not get involved.
Unfortunately, I think you are right on that one... At least right up until the Political Class does something that goes too far. Shamnesty went too far. Fortunately, the PolClass finally realized the extent and intensity of the popular reaction and backed down.
Had they not backed down, I believe there would have been a revolution--NOT the civil war they seem to want. I think they would see that as a chance to impose martial law and end all pretense of following our Constitution. With the populace divided against each other, they'd probably succeed.
IMO they figured out we--left, right and center--were starting to unite against THEM and not against each other. Hence the back down.
It would be a lot better if we could get involved earlier on a less incendiary and dangerous basis than all out revolt, but again I agree with you that most folks don't want to invest the time and energy when they're not being pushed past their limits of tolerance. The frog in the pot thing.