Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D- N.Y., recently bragged about dissuading Amazon from building another headquarters in New York City while slamming critics of the job-killing move.
Ocasio-Cortez, obviously proud of the move, went after her critics for not apologizing to her after the fact, for which she was not met with sympathy.
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The congresswoman shared a Bloomberg story that showed Amazon was temporarily pausing its construction while cutting jobs company-wide, presumably due to the poor state of the U.S. economy. Amazon has said it still plans to welcome 8,000 employees to the first development phase when it opens this June.
The Democrat saw this as a vindication of her refusal to allow this headquarters to be built in Queens and made that clear on Twitter.
“When I opposed this Amazon project coming to New York bc it was a scam of public funds, the whole power establishment came after us. Billboards went up in Times Sq denouncing me. Powerful pols promised revenge. Op-Eds & CEOs insulted my intelligence. In the end, we were right.”
AOC specified the point, implying that the construction pause proves that the promises of jobs were “empty” and that allowing for the build would “drain public dollars.” She also argued that she was owed an apology on this basis.
I know I’ll never get an apology for that time, but it was worth it. We protected NYers from a scam deal to drain public dollars from schools & infrastructure in exchange for empty promises of “Amazon jobs” w/ 0 guarantees or guardrails. Sadly, cities who took it are suffering.
It should be noted that Amazon was asking for tax breaks in exchange for providing jobs and was not requesting money from the government, which means that no public funds were saved by pushing Amazon away.
I know I’ll never get an apology for that time, but it was worth it.
We protected NYers from a scam deal to drain public dollars from schools & infrastructure in exchange for empty promises of “Amazon jobs” w/ 0 guarantees or guardrails. Sadly, cities who took it are suffering.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 3, 2023
Observers on Twitter emphatically disagreed. One user, Taylor Morgan, outlined why the move represents what’s wrong with Washington.
“Wait. You prevented jobs from coming to NY. Then when the government causes a recession because of uncontrolled printing and spending and companies do layoffs, you take an “I told you so” victory lap? This type of grift is exactly what’s wrong with Washington.”
And before the “but AkShUaLlY” crowd chimes, yes, printing and spending was the cause of the hyperinflation.
I mean, just look at that chart. Absolutely bonkers.
Now, the knee-jerk Fed tightening is causing the recession.
This is a government created crisis through and… https://t.co/tVj8P1F1rq pic.twitter.com/AyWwrKJ7l2
— Taylor Morgan (@tlrdrkmrgn) March 3, 2023
“Let me explain why killing jobs in my district makes me pro-job creation and sending money/weapons to Ukraine makes me anti-war”
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) March 3, 2023
how the hell do you get “we were right” out of this lol.
It’s YOUR economy that led to this.
— TheQuartering (@TheQuartering) March 3, 2023
One user took particular issue with the congresswoman’s call for an apology.
“You don’t deserve an apology, you should resign in disgrace.”
You don't deserve an apology, you should resign in disgrace.
— Jacob Airey (@realJacobAirey) March 3, 2023
AOc was banging the same drum in the winter of 2018, completely ignoring the potential for job creation, saying, “Now what I DON’T want is for our public funds to be funding freebie helipads for Amazon + robber baron billionaires, all while NYCHA and public schools go underfunded & mom+pops get nowhere near that kind of a break.”
Investor and Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary agreed with the indignant Twitter users, claiming that New York was becoming “uninvestable thanks to AOC. Sorry, don’t shoot the messenger; just telling you the way it is.” He also made clear that “AOC is great at killing jobs. She kills jobs by the thousands.”
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AOC retweeted the clip but didn’t respond on the economics, only offering that New York has not yet lost all of its billionaires as a defense, something multiple Twitter users pointed out.
They live in NYC. They do not create jobs there.
— Carmine Sabia (@CarmineSabia) March 4, 2023
One user even noted how New York’s business-hostile policies were driving people to Florida,
Because they can afford to live there? And even so, they are drifting toward Florida. Like O'Leary, who lives in Miami. pic.twitter.com/VMxyJrGm2b
— Jim Stinson (@jimstinson) March 4, 2023
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