(DailyVantage.com) – Democratic primary winner George Latimer defeated Bowman in New York’s sixteenth congressional district on Tuesday.
When Joe Biden became the Democratic nominee for president in 2020 and included left-wing demands in his platform, the activist left celebrated a significant victory. The young, inexperienced, yet telegenic and vocal Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) was recruited by the upstart progressive organization Justice Democrats, eager to bring down more moderate Democrats. The left-wing insurgent group known as “the Squad” (of which AOC is a member) was unsettling Congress.
The elderly white man representing New York’s 16th Congressional District, Eliot Engel, was a strong pro-Israel candidate, which does not fit into the left-wing activist’s worldview.
Enter Jamaal Bowman, a black middle school principal from a modest family who had an actual affection for the Wu-Tang Clan and Nas. He seemed to be a suitable replacement. The progressive ecosystem had developed to the point that it could supply Bowman with expert polling, financing, and even a super PAC, all of which helped propel him to a historic win.
Nevertheless, the progressive tsunami is fading, as Bowman’s 2020 loss shows. Now that Donald Trump is no longer president, there is far less grassroots enthusiasm and money available. The Democratic primaries continue to be influenced by a reaction against Black Lives Matter and other left-wing cultural movements. Meanwhile, the ideological ground the left is currently battling on has drawn the ire of the well-funded pro-Israel lobby.
Bowman, in 2020, benefitted from the timing. The reaction of major Democrat donors to the activist left was still in its early stages. With relatively little outlay of funds, the preeminent pro-Bowman super PAC prevailed over the pro-Israel Democratic Majority for Israel.
In the subsequent year, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) established its own super PAC, which demonstrated the ability to raise and spend tens of millions of dollars, not simply millions. AIPAC spent roughly $15 million to undermine Bowman’s campaign.
AIPAC’s deep pockets are certainly influencing the politicians that run and their platforms.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), a member of the “Squad,” lost his primary contest on Tuesday, infuriating left-wing activists and media critics who accuse AIPAC of meddling in races, preventing Democrats from becoming extremely radicalized.
Copyright 2024, DailyVantage.com
