It is not the quantity of people who exert influence over state policy, it is the quality of the action they take, which determines the success of their effort.
The rich are few, but their influence is great; this by itself disproves the theory that only mass organization can achieve change.
They are able to wield the weapon of capital, this gives them a level of influence far greater than their numbers. We are taught that we have no comparable weapon with which to exert our influence, except mass organizing and popular unity.
This is not true. Of course solidarity is an important objective, and helpful, but this is not the decisive factor for influencing policy, and it is not the only potential weapon we have.
كَم مِّن فِئَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةٍ كَثِيرَةً بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّـبِرِينَ
No, we do not have the kind of capital that is controlled by the elite, but what we do have is access to their capital, in the form of the corporations and investments they own. These investments can be disrupted and undermined by even a small number of people, and this will give us tremendous leverage; indeed, it will give us leverage equivalent to the leverage of the elite themselves, because they will have to use their influence to accommodate our demands so that they can secure their investments.
The only thing that makes you powerless is believing that you are.