Legal Commentary

Obama Dodges "Boycott Arizona" Question

By Jeralyn

President Obama today was asked whether he supports a boycott of Arizona due to its immigration law. He dodged.

"I'm the president of the United States, I don't endorse boycotts or not endorse boycotts," he replied. "That's something that private citizens can make a decision about."

At least he repeated his opposition to the law:

Mr. Obama reiterated his disapproval of the measure at this press conference, complaining about potential risks to civil liberties as well as the potential the measure has to help create a "patchwork of 50 different immigration laws around the country in an area that is inherently the job of the federal government."

He also again called for a "comprehensive approach" to immigration reform, one that includes a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who learn English, pay a fine and "get in the back of the line" when it comes to attaining legal status.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles County is considering a strong boycott measure: [More...]

Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina introduced a motion this week that would authorize the county to boycott Arizona unless it suspends or repeals its controversial immigration law.

The motion, co-sponsored by Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, would direct county officials to suspend all travel to Arizona and investigate withdrawing investments and canceling contracts.

The Los Angeles City Council previously adopted a boycott resolution. Here's a list of cities that as of May 13th, have passed a boycott measure.

Also today, a coalition of music groups announced they will not perform in Arizona.

The campaign, called the Sound Strike, has been organized by Zack de la Rocha, the lead singer of the rap metal band Rage Against the Machine, and is endorsed by English-language rock and rap performers like Massive Attack, Kanye West, Conor Oberst, Sonic Youth and Joe Satriani.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on May 28, 2010 (boomark / email).