Growing up, I was surrounded by adults, organizations and school programs encouraging me to register to vote. 

Again and again I heard the statistic, “Only 55% of voting age adults in the United States actually vote in our elections!” I remember being starry-eyed at the thought of contributing to democracy; I participated in my fair share of mock elections in elementary school. However, as I grew older, that optimism for the value and power of electoral politics slowly melted away. 

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Sept. 23 providing an additional $1 billion in funding for the Isreali “Iron Dome” missile defense system, on top of the $1.7 billion provided for the system by the US in the last decade and the $3 billion in additional funding for the Isreali military approved by the US legislature just this year. Clearly, our legislature sees no problem in sending billions of dollars in military aid to foreign nations while our own people die by the thousands waiting for medical treatment in our completely overloaded hospitals.

While it is not shocking the bill was passed given the overwhelmingly favorable attitude most members of the House have for Israel, there was one name missing from the votes against the legislation that angered many American progressives: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) — who, at the last minute, changed her vote from “against” to “present.”

Just as I was once enamored with electoral politics, I also once had hope for Ocasio-Cortez’ future impact on the nation. As a former bartender and a member of the American working class, she seemed to be down with the people. 

Unfortunately, it soon became apparent to me that Ocasio-Cortez, otherwise known as AOC, will always remain a politician first and foremost. Her internet activism, which once seemed so genuine, grew to feel entirely performative. With her vote of “present” for the Iron Dome defense bill, my frustration only boiled.  

After photographs of her weeping on the floor of Congress went viral, AOC issued a statement that read like a notes app influencer fauxpology: “To those I have disappointed — I am deeply sorry. To those who believe this reasoning is insufficient or cowardice — I understand.” 

AOC passionately opposes increased military spending, but when the time came for her to actually plant her foot firmly in support of that cause, she essentially remained silent. 

She voted present, listening to what she in her statement called “a tinderbox of vitriol, disingenuous framing, deeply racist accusations and depictions,” able to take a stand but too cowardly to actually do so. 

At the beginning of this month, AOC was seen at the Met Gala in a dress which proclaimed in bright red letters, “TAX THE RICH!” But, I wonder, what is the point of taxing the rich if money continues to be funneled to foreign militaries, rather than back to the American working class from whose labor this money was derived?

What is the point in voting for “progressive” representatives who preach leftism online just to turn around and allow conservative policy to pass through the legislature entirely unopposed? 

My disillusionment with electoral politics grows larger every day, but so does my understanding that the power for actual change lies in the hands of the people. We should not allow our frustration with electoralism keep us from voting against policies and politicians that will make our lives harder, but if AOC has taught us anything, it is that politicians can never be our saviors.