It's the degree of power they hold, not a binary. A politican in Switzerland has much less power than a politician in China.

When your power is to determine which day the recycling truck is dropping-by, hardly anyone wants to coerce that power. But when it is e.g printing money the calculus is massively different.

> When your power is to determine which day the recycling truck is dropping-by, hardly anyone wants to coerce that power.

I take it you've never encountered a homeowner's association.