1) Power comes from the people. It is centered in churches, families, and limited local city governments.
2) Power comes from the government. The federal government has the most power and the power decreases all the way down to the local level, which has the least power.
The second group, obviously, has become richer and more powerful. It has also done a good job of capturing the minds of the richest and smartest people in the country, who have been convinced that problems require government solutions.
There are a lot of people who don't accept these sorts of things, but they're called racists, white nationalists, nazis, and all other sorts of horrible (and usually illogical) things. To people who aren't politically active or don't have a good understanding of political philosophy, these accusations are very effective.
"What you oppose a national list of people who are standing in the way of our great society? What are you a nazi?" etc.