Progressive Dems 'Killed Amazon, the Biggest Beast Around'

In the battle of the centrists vs. progressives, the progressives emerged victorious
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 15, 2019 7:15 AM CST
Progressive Dems: 1, Establishment: 0, in Amazon's Failed NYC Deal
In this Jan. 19, 2019, file photo, US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, waves to the crowd at a rally in New York City.   (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

In the battle of the centrists versus the progressives, the progressives emerged victorious. At least that's the contention of left-of-center Democrats in New York, who are flashing the "V" sign after Amazon announced it was nixing its plans to build a second headquarters in Queens. The Wall Street Journal reports the company's 180 proved an "embarrassment" to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio, the usually quarreling establishment chiefs who, along with Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, had shown "rare unity" in supporting the project and cajoling Amazon to come to Long Island City. Also behind the deal were local businesses, as well as most city and state residents, per polls. "They killed Amazon, the biggest beast around," a Baruch College expert tells Reuters of the progressives' apparent coup.

"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," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who won her congressional primary last year against middle-of-the-road Democrat Joe Crowley, crowed on Twitter. Cuomo, for his part, slammed HQ2 critics like Ocasio-Cortez for putting "their own narrow political interests above their community" and doing "tremendous damage" to the local economy, per Fox News. Business Insider notes this win by progressives may serve as a blueprint of sorts for others trying to get big companies to fold "like a house of cheap cards." The main takeaway: "It's possible to stop even a giant [like] Amazon not with overwhelming force, but by presenting enough friction that it's no longer worth the trouble." (More Amazon stories.)

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