Jamaal Bowman's loss shows Gen Z that protests mean nothing if progressives don't vote

Vindication is never a good feeling when you didn’t want to be right in the first place. I told my followers on Instagram on Monday, “If Jamaal Bowman loses his seat in New York’s 16th District young progressives will have played themselves.” That's exactly what happened on Tuesday.

In the past eight-plus months, in the wake of Hamas' attack on Israel and the resulting Israeli war on Gaza and the Biden administration's unwavering support of Israel, I’ve seen a growing sentiment spreading in progressive circles online that voting third party or not at all is a wise strategy. What started as a way to send President Joe Biden a clear message during the Democratic presidential primaries has become a political identity amid the growing disdain for all U.S. politicians happening worldwide.

“They’re all the same” is something I’ve heard regurgitated to me at cocktail parties and barbecues by people who tell me that’s the reason they don’t follow politics closely. While of course there is undeniable corruption, and super PAC support is alive and well in both of the two major parties, when you look closely at the issues, (the integrity of the 2020 election, reproductive access, climate spending, gun safety, health care) one party is invested in the sanctity of these rights while the other is attempting to roll them back. 

There were a multitude of factors that contributed to Bowman’s loss, chief among them the record-breaking spending by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group, and its allies.

While this is undoubtedly a factor, we have our own unenthusiasm to blame, too.

What Bowman's loss shows about the myth that 'all politicians are the same'

The notion that "all politicians are the same," specifically when it comes to establishment Democrats like Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, is an idea shared by many of my progressive friends who have been out on the front lines protesting for a cease-fire in Gaza. I’ve even heard this sentiment used to describe all U.S. politicians as monolithic as an excuse for the left’s lack of actual progress when it comes to momentum at the ballot box.

When I ask these activists what they’re doing to elect more progressive politicians who share their vision for a Palestinian state and a divestment of Israel Defense Forces funding, it seems none of them have a clear answer to give me. I had hardly seen any of them posting about Bowman leading up to the race. That is part of why I had a hunch his defeat was imminent.  

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Within the "Genocide Joe" sector of the internet, there's a perception that all Democrats are warmongers who think monolithically as demigods. That Donald Trump and Joe Biden are two sides of the same coin. There are many young people I’ve talked to after Oct. 7 who genuinely believe that Trump and Biden would be the same in their support of Israel. 

There is, of course, an element of truth here. Biden’s support of Israel these past eight months has undoubtedly highlighted the injustices of the U.S. military complex. But the purpose of any protest is to apply pressure to the leaders in charge. If nothing else, the protest this past spring got the Biden administration to temporarily cut Israeli defense spending.

I think it’s healthy to see President Biden challenged continuously in this way. But the strategy for young people is not to neglect Biden this November, even though they are rightfully angry with him. We have to be able to do two things at once: Hold Biden to account and make sure he's still sitting in the Oval Office come January.

Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, must learn how to direct and utilize their rage if they want any hope at a progressive future. No justice, no peace? Well, "no vote, no progress" should be the phrase for this next election season. 

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What good were college protests if we don't show up to vote?

What does it say about us progressives and our standing in the political arena if after everything we’ve seen this spring, with the largest college protest since the Vietnam War, New York Democrats just traded an anti-Zionist, anti-far right Israeli House seat for a pro-Zionist candidate?

While the goal of the protest was to divest spending on Israel, come November progressive New Yorkers will now be forced to choose between two candidates who will likely support more funding to the Israel Defense Forces. 

Any establishment politician relies on a certain amount of collective pessimism to stay in power. No wonder most Americans don’t feel the U.S. government accurately represents them when there are roughly 100 million eligible voters who do not participate in elections. 

The thing I’m trying to get my friends to understand: Establishment politicians want them to turn their backs on politics. Super fundraising groups like the National Rifle Association and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee are pumping the message out into our echo chamber that you shouldn’t bother participating in the system because the two-party system is rigged against you.

In actuality, the system is rigged against you because you don’t participate in it. Voting, like protesting, is equally important to exercise, and you really can’t have one without the other. 

As a professor and a strategist, it makes me question: What good was this spring’s college campus protests if not for keeping the candidates who share the movement’s vision in office? 

A frequent critic of Gen Z, and specifically the cease-fire movement, comedian and "Real Time" host Bill Maher said once while raging on young progressives, "You call yourself the resistance? Then fight behind enemy lines. That's what a 'resistance' does. That's the difference between blowing up a tank and tweeting about it. Get out of your echo chamber and infiltrate theirs!”

Let Bowman’s loss in New York’s 16th District serve as a warning for November. The theory that we will be teaching the establishment a lesson by skipping out on elections is absurd. We must continue to utilize Biden and vote with that rage if we want to see any momentum toward a demilitarized Middle East.

Andrew Sciallo has taught at Pace University, New York City College of Technology and Hunter College. His writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The Nation, Queerty, The Advocate, Literary Hub and Out Traveler.