Amazon deal flop: New York governor called 'embarrassment' in flood of hate mail
Cuomo received 1,500 pieces of hate mail after Amazon pulled out of its multibillion deal to build HQ2 in New York City
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was flooded with more than 1,000 pieces of hate mail – many pointing fingers at Democratic Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez – from people angry over the state's failed deal with Amazon, the New York Post reported.
“I guess we know who wears the pants in New York now. Especially in the Democratic Party,” wrote one person, who fumed about how “that little snot nose trashed your big deal.”
The three-term Democratic governor’s office was sent roughly 1,500 messages, via email and through the mail after Amazon unexpectedly pulled out of its multibillion deal with New York to build a facility in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, according to the report. His office also received about 700 messages following the November 2018 announcement of the deal.
The failed arrangement included adding more than 25,000 jobs and $3 billion in incentives, which garnered opposition from politicians, including Ocasio-Cortez.
But the e-commerce giant apparently did not appreciate the criticism, saying in a statement at the time: “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.”
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Cuomo, placed the blame on the other Democratic elected office-holders who vocalized their opposition, according to the Post.
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“There is no doubt losing Amazon was a major political blunder by opposing officials and pure pandering at the expense of responsible governing,” he said.
Though some of the letters didn’t specifically name the congresswoman, others referenced her past job as a bartender as a way to criticize the governor. Ocasio-Cortez used to work as a bartender before she beat former longtime Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley in 2018, becoming the youngest congresswoman elected.
“You got outsmarted by a bartender … thanks,” a different letter said.
One person called the politicians “an embarrassment” and another described the failed deal “laughable and a testament to political incompetence.”
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“What a dysfunctional scenario to unfold under your watch. AOC has played you swiftly. WOW!” a separate letter stated.
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It wasn’t the only time the freshman Democrat had criticized the Jeff Bezos-owned retailer. In June, she accused Amazon of paying its employees “starvation wages” and took a jab at its billionaire owner for “taking billions of dollars of government subsidies.”
“Whether Jeff Bezos is a billionaire or not is less of my concern than if your average Amazon worker is making a living wage, if they have guaranteed health care and if they can send their kids to college tuition-free,” she said at the time. “And if that’s the case, and Jeff Bezos is still a billionaire, that’s one thing.”
Amazon later responded, saying she was "just wrong."
Several other people wrote in to the governor about their plans to move out of the state.
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“Bye, Bye. Me and My entire extended family are now on our way out of your state to live in Tennessee,” one man wrote. “It has nothing to do with the weather!!!!!!!!! It’s all to do with you. Loser!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
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Some business owners said they had planned to move to the state, but opted against doing so after seeing “the treatment Amazon was given," according to a different article from the Post.
“While we would only bring 750 or so jobs, you should consider what your policies are doing to the health of your state,” wrote one Pennsylvania woman.
The author of the letter said she was from New York and had looked forward to returning, "but the New York business environment is too risky and stacked against business interests."
“Maybe you can change that and we can reconsider," she continued, "but looks like no one cares and the state has been taken over by fools."
Big-business lobbyist Kathryn Wylde, CEO New York City Partnership, told the outlet the failed deal "did nothing" to help the organization's ability to market the city to improve future business.
She told the Post: “The reactions I have heard are, ‘Why would anyone decide to open a business operation here if they are going to be demonized in the process?’”
