Beltway Confidential

With Amazon’s withdrawal, New York reaps AOC’s socialist whirlwind

By Tom Rogan
Published February 14, 2019 8:41pm ET
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With Amazon’s withdrawal, New York reaps AOC’s socialist whirlwind
A former dock facility is shown with old transfer bridges, with "Long Island" painted in large letters at Gantry State Park in the Long Island City section of Queens, N.Y. | (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Announcing its withdrawal from a planned New York City headquarters on Thursday, Amazon made clear that socialist politicians were to blame for the sudden evaporation of 25,000 arriving jobs. In a statement, the company declared:

For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term. While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.


Thus, New Yorkers reap the socialist whirlwind. We should pay close attention to Amazon’s decision here, because it reflects the fact that the most successful companies in America have never had more mobile capital. And as I warned would be the case with Amazon, if left-wing politicians treat these companies as borderline criminals, they’ll take their business, jobs, and investment elsewhere.

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Amazon Bill de Blasio Congress Jobs New York Socialism