Barack-Lash: Arizona Boycotts Failing

As SB 1070 is about to take effect Thursday, good news is being reported out of Arizona. I can't wait for Obama to take somehow credit for this.

Arizona's tourism industry has a target on its back, but the widespread boycotts over the state's immigration law might not be hitting the mark.

Recent data compiled by a market research group show hotel bookings across the state -- as well as in tourism hot spots Phoenix and Scottsdale -- have been on the rise the past two months.

The numbers could dispel warnings from local officials that Arizona stands to lose a fortune and dampen the chances that cities and organizations will be able to compel the state to reverse its immigration law by choking its economy with a sanctions-style business boycott.

"Fundamentally, the boycotts have been unsuccessful," said Barry Broome, president of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council.

The data from hotel industry research firm STR showed that for the state of Arizona, hotel occupancy was up 5.7 percent in May and up 8.3 percent in June compared with the same time a year ago.

In Phoenix, occupancy was up 10.6 percent in June; in Scottsdale, it was up 10.7 percent for the same period. Revenue also was up, with Arizona hotels raking in $148 million last month -- up more than 11 percent from a year ago.

Broome said the state also has been able to attract new businesses
to locate in Arizona despite bad publicity. He said his group plans to announce 2,000 to 3,000 new jobs thanks to investment from California, where Arizona boycotts are in place in several major cities, over the next few months.

"Business continues," said Garrick Taylor, spokesman with the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

H/T Tammy Bruce.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Joe girds for the whiners.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is laying down the law on possible protests surrounding Senate Bill 1070, scheduled to go into effect Thursday.

"Thousands of people will reportedly descend upon Maricopa County this week in support of, or in protest to, SB1070," Arpaio said Tuesday.

"Intelligence gathering leads us to believe that several acts of civil disobedience are planned -- here at my office headquarters in the Wells Fargo Bank high-rise in downtown Phoenix, at the jails including Tent City and at Thursday's crime suppression operation which will be conducted by my deputies and posse members."

Arpaio said, "Activists and their celebrity sympathizers who wish to target this community and this sheriff by attempting to disrupt our jail and patrol operations will be unsuccessful as we will be fully prepared to meet those challenges head-on with appropriately staffed personnel and resources."

Several California pro-immigrant groups plan to travel to Phoenix to oppose the law, and a spokeswoman for one group has said they plan to "dare police to act."

I'll hold Obama and his race pimp Holder directly responsible for any violence.

"I've got news for them, they will be arrested if they try to keep me from booking people into that jail," the sheriff said.

Fresh off a raid early Tuesday on a Phoenix business suspected of hiring illegal immigrants, the sheriff said he would carry out his 37th crime suppression sweep on Thursday.

"As far as our human smuggling and crime suppression goes, we have two other state laws -- on human smuggling and employer sanctions," he said, "so we're still going to continue doing our jobs."