Political Disappointments: The 5 Biggest Betrayals by Bernie Sanders and AOC

For nearly a decade, the American Left has been told that the "political revolution" is just one election away. We’ve been told that by working within the Democratic Party, figures like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) could transform a corporate-controlled machine into a vehicle for socialism.

However, a cold analysis of their track record reveals a different reality. Rather than leading a breakthrough, Sanders and AOC have functioned as "sheepdogs"—herding radicalized energy back into the graveyard of social movements. To understand how the Left has been neutralized, we must look at the material betrayals that have defined their careers.

1. Breaking the Rail Strike: The Ultimate Labor Betrayal

The most fundamental principle of socialism is the right of the working class to withhold its labor. In late 2022, that principle was put to the test when 115,000 railroad workers prepared to strike for basic rights, including paid sick leave.

In a move that should have ended any claim they had to being "pro-worker," AOC and the "Squad" in the House voted for the legislation that forced a contract on the workers and made their strike illegal. By siding with the Biden administration and railroad billionaires, they used the power of the state to crush a legitimate labor struggle. This wasn't just a "difficult vote"; it was an act of state-sponsored strike-breaking that prioritized capitalist supply chains over human dignity.

2. Bernie Sanders: A Career of Pro-War, Pro-Israel Alignment

The narrative of Bernie Sanders as a lifelong anti-imperialist is a myth that falls apart under historical scrutiny. For decades, Sanders was a reliable supporter of the Israeli colonial project. We cannot forget 2014, when during Israel’s "Operation Protective Edge," Sanders was filmed shouting down constituents who questioned the slaughter in Gaza, telling them to "shut up" while defending Israel’s "right to defend itself."

Even as the current genocide escalated in late 2023, Sanders initially refused to call for a permanent ceasefire. He spent months echoing State Department talking points, legitimizing the initial phases of a campaign that has leveled Gaza. His eventual shift to an "anti-genocide" stance was a late-stage pivot necessitated by a massive grassroots revolt—not a leading principle. He followed the masses; he did not lead them.

3. AOC’s "Present" Vote: The Cowardice of the Iron Dome

In September 2021, the world saw the limits of "insurgent" politics. Faced with a vote to send an additional $1 billion in military funding to Israel for the Iron Dome, AOC initially voted "No." However, after a brief huddle with Democratic leadership, she tearfully changed her vote to "Present."

This was a calculated move to avoid retaliation from the party establishment while attempting to maintain her "radical" brand. As the Black Agenda Report has noted, the "tears of a sheepdog" do nothing to stop the bombs falling on oppressed people. By refusing to cast a "No" vote, she facilitated the arming of an apartheid state, proving her primary loyalty is to her standing within the Democratic Party, not to the international working class.

 4. Funding the Proxy War: The Imperialist Consensus

You cannot be a socialist at home while supporting the military-industrial complex abroad. Yet, Sanders and AOC have been some of the most effective validators for the funneling of astronomical sums into the proxy war in Ukraine.

By voting for massive military aid packages—reaching hundreds of billions of dollars—they have directly funded weapons manufacturers like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. This money, which could have funded universal healthcare and housing, was instead used to escalate a conflict that brings the world closer to nuclear brinkmanship. Their support for the expansion of NATO demonstrates that they are fundamentally committed to maintaining U.S. global hegemony.

5. Rebranding the "Lesser Evil" Strategy

The greatest betrayal is structural. Every four years, Sanders and AOC are deployed to convince the Left that they must support a corporate, pro-war Democratic candidate to "save democracy." In doing so, they have become the primary obstacles to the formation of an independent, anti-capitalist political party.

They capture the energy of movements like Black Lives Matter and the climate strikes and funnel it back into a party that is fundamentally hostile to those causes. By remaining within the Democratic Party, they normalize the idea that the "Left" has no choice but to support the architects of austerity and war. They have turned "socialism" into a toothless brand for the Professional Managerial Class, ensuring that the ruling elite never faces a genuine challenge from below.

Beyond the Gatekeepers

The trajectory of Sanders and AOC is a warning: the Democratic Party is not a site of struggle; it is a graveyard. Each of these five betrayals represents a moment where they chose their careers and their party standing over the lives of workers and the victims of empire. To build a real effective opposition to the Empire, we must reject these gatekeepers and build independent, anti-imperialist power that refuses to beg for scraps from the table of the ruling class.