a) I said "fairly large swathe" b) Elites exert control by persuasion; they control the discourse, they organize larger movements, &c. There are still limits t

a) I said "fairly large swathe" b) Elites exert control by persuasion; they control the discourse, they organize larger movements, &c. There are still limits to what popular opinion will go along with. c) Intelligence agencies are, in most rich democratic countries, not a major lever of political power. Government economic institutions, police, courts, and the like are much more influential in both day-to-day lives and in shaping popular conceptions of the "rules of the game".