02/20/2019
Hubert Collins recently wrote here at VDARE.com about the inherent instability in the Democratic Party improving Trump’s chances for reelection in 2020 and that volatility was recently on display in the late-term abortion of New York governor Andrew Cuomo and world’s richest man Jeff Bezos' attempt to establish a second headquarters for Amazon in New York City.
Love definitely isn’t in the air today — at least not for supporters of Amazon’s New York City headquarters. The retailer has officially called it quits on its plans to launch an NYC-based HQ2 in Long Island City, citing less-than-supportive city leaders as the primary reason.
Though 56% of New Yorkers supported the move, Amazon says “a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us.”
The rumors of a pullout had been swirling since Friday when the Washington Post broke the news that Amazon might be reconsidering its decision. Local lawmakers like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Michael N. Gianaris have been outspoken about their distaste for the project in recent weeks, as have several city council members and community leaders.
Amazon Backs Out Of HQ2 Deal in New York City, Cites Opposition From Politicians, by Aly J. Yale, Forbes, February 14, 2019
The breakdown in what was supposed to be the crowning achievement of economic development for the Cuomo administration offers us a glimpse at how the Coalition of the Fringes doesn’t seem to be willing to take marching orders from the neoliberals who run the Democratic Party. This might be the biggest flare-up in the ongoing civil war between the hard-Left progressives and the neoliberal leadership of the Democratic Party since the presidential primary battles of Bernie versus Hillary.
The Democrats who constantly tell us “diversity is our strength” proved it’s quickly becoming their Achilles heel as the motley crew that forms the base of their political power made a series of insane SJW demands which ultimately scuttled the Amazon deal. One such demand was that Amazon break all of its contracts with ICE which apparently uses Amazon’s facial recognition software. City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer told CNBC “Obviously we're a sanctuary city. The mayor and all of us have declared that we want to be a safe haven for all immigrants, including the undocumented… Amazon refuses to budge on that issue.”
New York City Council Member Carlos Menchaca celebrated the collapse of the deal explaining that “New York City cannot claim to be a sanctuary city if it gives taxpayer money to fund systems that spy, threaten, and deport our immigrant neighbors.” And this was only one of dozens of complaints about the deal by progressives who also complained about potential gentrification in the area or that the company might not hire enough minorities from the local communities.
The combination of hostile local politicians and activist progressive groups proved too much for Amazon and the resulting negative publicity sent the company running for the hills.
While small protests greeted the company after its initial announcement in November, the first inkling that opposition had taken hold among the city’s Democratic politicians came during a hostile City Council hearing the next month. Protesters filled the seats, unfurled banners and chanted against the company. Not a single council member spoke up in defense of the deal or the company.
Amazon Pulls Out of Planned New York City Headquarters, By J. David Goodman, New York Times, February 14, 2019
You can’t help but enjoy watching the political and corporate elite who thought they could completely remake our demographics and still maintain control have everything come crashing down around them. If seeing DeBlasio and Cuomo heartbroken over the deal’s failure doesn’t bring a smile to your face, I don’t know what will.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo are taking a huge hit for bringing HQ2 to New York and then seeing the plan crumble so quickly. In November, Cuomo hailed the project as a massive win for New York, mentioning the $27.5 billion in tax revenue expected to flow from the project over 25 years, a huge windfall when compared with the $3 billion in incentives. Many business leaders said they were dismayed by the loss of HQ2 as a new economic driver for the city. "A small group of politicians," Cuomo said in a statement Thursday, "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."
Why Amazon’s dream of a New York City headquarters imploded, By Ben Fox Rubin, CNET.com, February 15, 2019
One bright side of this is that enough debacles like this actually might get our ruling class to rethink immigration. For all we know, Jeff Bezos might be reading Alien Nation right now
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