You're absolutely right. It is "the people who control the nation and the future." Unless your ideas have broad public support, you aren't going to see them enacted into law. We'll always have conservatives and for the most part conservatism will dominate. It's just that conservative thought changes also. We no longer believe in the divine right of Kings.
If you believe that the right consists of the elite class, are you in the right ball park? I always thought that I was a conservative. But I don't wear a crown. Look, you can call yourself whatever you want, but the way that you act, think, and just generally live your life determines what you are, not a title or a political affiliation.