it's like a clown car

[pucho812]

How many more do you expect in the running for the Democratic Party nomination.

So far I am counting around 10 and so far it reminds me of a clown car.  ;D

 

[JohnRoberts]

How many more do you expect in the running for the Democratic Party nomination.

So far I am counting around 10 and so far it reminds me of a clown car.  ;D

It's a good thing for that many people to be interested. Respect the process. 

When you have too many candidates, just like in the last republican primary, candidates will have to be really different to break through the sameness of messages. Trump won the "different" contest in the republican primary last time.

From this modern crop of democrats I can't predict who will break out, in a good way. Some are already looking weak (like Warren) but who knows, not me? I didn't pick Trump to win. 

It should be interesting to watch.

Too bad AOC is too young to run for POTUS, that would be a really good show.

JR

 

 

[pucho812]

True but right now I have yet to see them differentiate.  This will be entertaining and yes it's nice to see that many interested in the process.

 

[living sounds]

"Clown Car" was exactly what they dubbed the Republican field 4 years ago.

And looking at those candidates back then and they way it all went down (to the gutter) the term was a better fit, don't you think? 

 

[JohnRoberts]

"Clown Car" was exactly what they dubbed the Republican field 4 years ago.

And looking at those candidates back then and they way it all went down (to the gutter) the term was a better fit, don't you think? 

The republican primary is generally characterized as a circular firing squad as they shoot at each other.  I also expect the democrats to eat their own. It's what the political class do in primaries.

Perhaps this reflects my personal biases, but the democratic field appears even further left than ever  before,,, They will have a hard time positioning themselves further left of AOC the new democratic rising star (along with Beta who just said he would remove the border wall in TX, because it is killing people.) It appears Joe Biden is considering a run. He seems moderate compared to this group.

It should be an entertaining election as the silent majority generally remains silent, but speak with their vote.  Of course I cannot predict outcomes (I was wrong last time.)

JR

 

[pucho812]

aoc, I hear the state of new york wants to redistrict and eliminate her post. LOL

I find it funny she celebrated amazon deciding not to build in NY.  As always there will be trade offs, amazon asking for an incentive to be there is not new, why not play ball and reap the benefits on the back end.  oh well, her supporters find no wrong in her can't wait till they push her to run for president.

 

[JohnRoberts]

aoc, I hear the state of new york wants to redistrict and eliminate her post. LOL

Her district loves her but the party leaders not so much.

I find it funny she celebrated amazon deciding not to build in NY.  As always there will be trade offs, amazon asking for an incentive to be there is not new, why not play ball and reap the benefits on the back end.

Amazon is an interesting case of dysfunctional state/local politics.

The deal, something like $3B in tax breaks, in return for some $27B in local economy revenue (over 25 years). A 9:1 payback seems like a no brainer, but people always consider their personal self interest, not the greater good for the community.

Personally few of the locals will get the high paying tech jobs, so new people who come in to take those gigs will put increasing pressure on land values and rental costs.

This was perhaps unavoidable the way Amazon shopped the deal (an auction between different sites), but it demonstrates a breakdown between state politicians and even the Mayor, who value the deal, vs rabble rousers like AOC.

NYC loses good high tech jobs, Amazon loses nothing. I saw one protestor on TV yesterday complaining that he borrowed a million dollars to buy local real estate expected to appreciate. Not very clever in hindsight (you are supposed to buy the rumor and sell the news, not buy the news  : ). I suspect he was not alone in attempts at real estate scheming.

The fact that Amazon was so willing to walk away means maybe it wasn't such a sweet deal for them. Who knows what kind of wheeling/dealing was going on behind the scenes in NYC.

oh well, her supporters find no wrong in her can't wait till they push her to run for president.

The most germane observation is that workers get jobs from wealthy business owners, not other poor.

Interesting week for Bezos... His PR form deserves some kind of award for flipping the story about his marital indiscretion into accusations of bribery against the leaker (even if true). 

JR

 

[Gold]

aoc, I hear the state of new york wants to redistrict and eliminate her post. LOL

I find it funny she celebrated amazon deciding not to build in NY.  As always there will be trade offs, amazon asking for an incentive to be there is not new, why not play ball and reap the benefits on the back end.  oh well, her supporters find no wrong in her can't wait till they push her to run for president.

I can't predict the candidate that is going to break through. Amy Klobuchar is more moderate than some others. Kamala Harris was also a prosecutor so she is more moderate than she is trying to project.

I live one neighborhood away from LIC where Amazon was supposed to be. I am against tax breaks for Amazon. The public transportation around there is stressed to the gills. 25k more people needs careful planning and certainly upgrades to make that work. That's the opposite of tax breaks. The transportation needs investment that Amazon should cover.

A $150K salary sounds pretty good but that will barely get you a one bedroom apartment around there. That area needs a giant development project like a hole in the head.

Amazon is not looking at other locations for this. They just bagged it. That tells me that they want to be in NYC. They should pay for the privilege just like everyone else. Now if they had chosen say The Bronx there would be much less protest because they could actually use development. LIC is already has massive amounts of construction development going on because its a desirable neighborhood. If they had picked a less desirable neighborhood they would have had a better shot at it.

 

[Matador]

There is a long storied past with companies pocketing the tax breaks and moving the profits out of the area, leaving the local cities the burden of necessary infrastructure improvements.  Silicon Valley is a prime example.
IBM in New York is another prime example.

Maybe this is a case of NYC wanting a better deal?

 

[john12ax7]

Good for AOC and NY. Sweetheart tax deals for corporations are terrible. Those who support free market capitalism should be cheering this.

 

[john12ax7]

Regarding the democrats,  Andrew Yang seems interesting. It's refreshing hearing a politician use actual logic and facts to express their views.

 

[Gold]

The Citi Bank Tower in LIC  is becoming available. That is a tall tower with big floors. Amazon could lease that for office space. If you know the area massive warehouse spaces already exist.  There is space for more.  All the real estate there would sell at a high market rate.  It’s expensive around there. No need to give it to away to the richest man on earth.

 

[john12ax7]

It’s expensive around there. No need to give it to away to the richest man on earth.

Exactly

 

[JohnRoberts]

No need to give it to away to the richest man on earth.

That was before the divorce.... 

JR

 

[Gold]

Well, Putin is the richest man in the world although not officially.  I think that’s the reason Trump idolizes him.  It’s the main thing he cares about.

 

[dmp]

Regarding the amazon deal in NY
Read about the awful foxconn deal in Wisconsin by ex-Gov Scott Walker and the Republicans.

These deals are generally awful and big tax handouts to corporations. It's a race to the bottom as states compete.
Maybe there should just be a federal law against it. 

I don't see why anyone is for it since it just makes the competition of Capitalism more phony.
How can a small company compete against a Foxconn or Amazon if the big corporation is having there jobs subsidized?
The Foxconn jobs are getting over $200k per job I think.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Regarding the amazon deal in NY
Read about the awful foxconn deal in Wisconsin by ex-Gov Scott Walker and the Republicans.

These deals are generally awful and big tax handouts to corporations. It's a race to the bottom as states compete.
Maybe there should just be a federal law against it. 

I don't see why anyone is for it since it just makes the competition of Capitalism more phony.
How can a small company compete against a Foxconn or Amazon if the big corporation is having there jobs subsidized?
The Foxconn jobs are getting over $200k per job I think.

I hope you are sitting down because I not only agree with you but have talked about this here before.

The poster boy for this behavior by states is the beggar thy neighbor excessive tax breaks offered to the movie industry to attract film makers to different states (it moves from state to state). The state lawmakers hope to rub elbows (or whatever) with Hollywood royalty.  :

JR