AOC Scorched After Bragging About Stopping Amazon's 'Corporate Greed' and 'Worker Exploitation'
Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was blasted by Amazon and experts in economics after she stopped Amazon’s “corporate greed.”
On Thursday, Amazon canceled plans to bring its headquarters to New York.
In exchange for providing 25,000 jobs, Amazon would have received $3 billion in tax breaks, which was vehemently opposed by self-identified socialist Ocasio-Cortez.
According to Jodi Seth, the head of policy communications for Amazon, New York lost those jobs because of resistance from people like Ocasio-Cortez.
“If you talk to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, it’s ‘Never Amazon,'” Seth told NBC News in an interview on Thursday. “If you talk to (New York City Councilman Jimmy) Van Bramer, it’s unions.”
In the interview, Seth said that the negative environment created by New York politicians ultimately led to the fallout.
“It was that the environment over the course of the past three months had not got any better. There were some local and state elected officials who refused to meet with Amazon and criticized us day in and day out about the plan,” Seth explained.
While thousands of New York residents are now missing a huge opportunity, Ocasio-Cortez celebrated on Twitter.
“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,” the socialist 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. https://t.co/nyvm5vtH9k
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 14, 2019
But New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not share the representative’s enthusiasm. In fact, he seemed livid at anti-Amazon New York politicians.
In a statement, Cuomo said that 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.”
Several experts also took the time to thoroughly roast Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter for her economic illiteracy.
Yes, except there IS a “bad guy” here. The NYC politicians who apparently don’t understand how tax subsidies work. (NYC would not have “paid Amazon $3B.” We would have collected gigantic pots of tax revenue, as well as the spending power of 25,000 well-employed people.) https://t.co/Xz8J33HQ5k
— Henry Blodget (@hblodget) February 15, 2019
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
— Lloyd Blankfein (@lloydblankfein) February 14, 2019
Amazon’s jobs and investment will go to different Congressional districts, their greed undiminished.
Not the way to represent your constituents. https://t.co/hMSeo3R2tp
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) February 15, 2019
Ocasio-Cortez is celebrating the defeat of “corporate greed” but the only thing she has managed to defeat is the job opportunities of her constituents.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
