by WorldTribune Staff, February 15, 2019
Many New Yorkers – Gov. Andrew Cuomo among them – were livid with Democrats who ultimately were blamed for killing Amazon’s plan to build in New York City what would have been a second national headquarters.
“A small group of politicians put their own narrow political interests above their community – which poll after poll showed overwhelmingly supported bringing Amazon to Long Island City – the state’s economic future and the best interests of the people of this state,” Cuomo said in a statement.
Former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein tweeted: “After killing Amazon’s NYC HQ, not sure some progressive democrats deserve either title. This move was both anti-progress (negative for development and tech jobs) and anti-democratic (polls show 70% of NYers were in favor). Victory lap for them, not for NYC. #AmazonHQ2”
One of those progressive Democrats, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who pushed hard to keep Amazon out of NYC, finished her victory lap and tweeted: “Anything is possible: today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon’s corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world.”
Cuomo had said the Amazon HQ would have brought 25,000 to 40,000 “good paying jobs for our state and nearly $30 billion dollars in new revenue to fund transit improvements, new housing, schools and countless other quality of life improvements.”
Ocasio-Cortez said that if New York had $3 billion to give away to Amazon as a part of the deal, it should be able to find money to pay teachers and fix the subway.
At some point, Ocasio-Cortez’s constituents “will probably figure out that they’ve lost a lot and gained…nothing,” Zero Hedge noted. “Let the irony sink it: AOC wants to raise taxes on the wealthy to fund her utopian socialist agenda, but is also against wealthy people generating taxable income. Once her constituents figure it out, they might realize that they would have been better off if AOC had stayed tending bar.”
Cuomo pinned much of the blame on the New York State Senate, which the governor said had “done tremendous damage. They should be held accountable for this lost economic opportunity.”
Cuomo did not mention them by name, but was likely referring to Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Sen. Michael Gianaris, the deputy majority leader, both Democrats. Amazon’s headquarters would have been located in Gianaris’ district.
Giannaris accused Amazon of acting like a “petulant child.”
“Amazon insists on getting its way or takes its ball and leaves,” said Gianaris. “The only thing that happened here is that a community that was going to be profoundly affected by their presence started asking questions.”
New York Mayor Bill deBlasio said that if Amazon can’t appreciate what New York City is worth, “its competitors will.”
The mayor tweeted: “You have to be tough to make it in New York City. We gave Amazon the opportunity to be a good neighbor and do business in the greatest city in the world. Instead of working with the community, Amazon threw away that opportunity.”
Check Out Geostrategy-Direct __________ Jump Start the U.S. Media
Gov. Cuomo: Democrats killed Amazon-NYC HQ deal added by World Tribune on
View all posts by World Tribune →