Meet Chris DeSimone: Oro Valley's Mayoral Hopeful
Exploring DeSimone's Approach to Local Issues and His Vision for Leadership.
Based on the Wake Up Live with Chris DeSimone for 2/19/25.
🙊 Notable quotes from the show
On Border Security - Andy Biggs:
"Day one, we're going to do an AZ DOGE... We're going to have a borders are... we're going to have somebody who I really believe is going to be super on water and help us straighten out the water problem." Context: Discussing his gubernatorial campaign promises
On Government Spending - Barney Brenner:
"Government doesn't really have... any money of its own that it doesn't reach into your pocket for." Context: Critiquing local government fiscal practices
On DEI Initiatives - Show Discussion:
"DEI programs had the good catchphrases, embrace discomfort and humility. Okay. Another cliche. Ideologies like all lives matter are harmful and hurtful." Context: Criticizing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs
On Navy Outreach - Miranda Williams:
"We want to ensure that you have an opportunity to speak firsthand with your sailors, understand who we are, what we do, and why we are important to national defense and the security of our seas." Context: Explaining Navy Week's community engagement
👥 People Mentioned and Their Memorable Moments:
Christopher DeSimone
Host of Wake Up Live
Oro Valley mayoral candidate
Quote about himself: "Now that I'm off the FCC airwave, I'm going to start [running] for Mayor of Oro Valley."
Andy Biggs
U.S. Congressman
Arizona gubernatorial candidate
Notable Quote: "We should not be second banana to any state in this countr.y"
Key Campaign Platform: Election integrity, border security, water management
Barney Brenner
Regular conservative political commentator
Memorable Quote: Criticizing government spending and local infrastructure
Appears monthly on the show
Miranda Williams
Navy Lieutenant Commander
Public Affairs Officer
30-year Navy veteran
Retiring this year
Leads Navy Week community outreach
Justin Belka
Senior Chief Musician
Navy Band Southwest representative
24-year Navy veteran
Retiring this year
Katie Hobbs
Current Arizona Governor
Referred to as "Racist Katie" by show hosts
Criticized for vetoing election integrity bill
Rex Scott
Pima County official
Described by hosts as "goes after all the wrong people"
Tom Homan
Mentioned as new border security lead
Described as a "badass" replacement for Alejandro Mayorkas
Alejandro Mayorkas
Former Homeland Security Secretary
Heavily criticized by Andy Biggs
Accused of not enforcing immigration laws
Chris King
Plaintiff in Pima County firearms ordinance lawsuit
Described as an Air Force veteran
Successful in challenging county firearm reporting requirements
Regina Romero
Tucson Mayor
Criticized for city infrastructure and economic development proposals
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾
In the latest episode of Wake Up Live, various notable guests discussed exciting political and social issues impacting Tucson. 🎙️ Congressman Andy Biggs laid out his plans as he runs for governor, 🏛️ Lieutenant Commander Miranda Williams informed the audience about Navy Week and its importance for community connection, and 💬 political commentator Barney Brenner shared his insights on government spending and its effects on taxpayers. 🔫 Meanwhile, there were discussions about local firearm laws and the ongoing talk about Arizona's 🌊 water problems.
🗝️ Takeaways
🎉 Guests included Congressman Andy Biggs, Lieutenant Commander Miranda Williams, and conservative commentator Barney Brenner.
🚨 Discussion on the impact of Navy Week and military outreach in Tucson.
💸 Critique of local government spending and infrastructure policies.
🔥 Legislative challenges regarding firearms reporting ordinances and community safety.
🌊 Analysis of Arizona's water crisis and Biggs' controversial solutions.
Wake Up Live: A Conservative Carnival of Tucson Politics on February 19th, 2025
¡Órale, Tucson! Another Monday morning, another journey through the conservative echo chamber known as Wake Up Live with Christopher DeSimone. Broadcast on the Live the Dream Media Network, this February 19th episode was a rollercoaster of right-wing rhetoric, featuring Navy representatives, a congressional candidate, and the usual suspects of local conservative punditry.
Internal dialogue: Another day, another chance to decode the colonial mindset that continues to shape our local narrative.
🎖️ Navy Representation: Lieutenant Commander Miranda Williams and Senior Chief Musician Justin Belka
The morning kicked off with a refreshing departure from political mudslinging—a segment featuring two dedicated Navy professionals eager to share the importance of Navy Week in our landlocked desert city.
Wait, Navy Week in Tucson? Land of endless concrete and settler colonialism?
Lieutenant Commander Miranda Williams, a 30-year veteran transitioning into retirement, explained the Navy's community outreach mission with a precision that would make any bureaucrat proud. Her words hung in the air like a carefully constructed PR narrative:
"We want to ensure that you have an opportunity to speak firsthand with your sailors, understand who we are, what we do, and why we are important to national defense and the security of our seas."
Internal monologue: National defense? You mean continued imperial expansion and protection of capitalist interests?
The nuanced approach revealed a sophisticated strategy of soft power. Navy Band Southwest isn't just playing music—they're constructing a narrative of military legitimacy in a landlocked community. Senior Chief Musician Justin Belka's presence as a musician-turned-recruiter spoke volumes about modern military recruitment tactics.
Madre de Dios, they're weaponizing art now. Music as a recruitment tool—a siren song of militaristic propaganda.
Senior Chief Belka shared that musicians must pre-qualify through field auditions, a detail that exposes the selective nature of military recruitment. Who gets to play? Who gets to serve? Another system of exclusion masked as opportunity.
🏛️ Political Aspirations: Congressman Andy Biggs' Gubernatorial Campaign Circus
Enter Andy Biggs, a congressional chameleon transitioning from federal to state politics with the smoothness of a snake shedding its skin. His gubernatorial campaign launch was less a thunderous declaration and more a suspiro of calculated political maneuvering.
Internal dialogue: Another gringo ready to reshape Arizona's political landscape without understanding its true history.
Biggs' origin story of his campaign was tellingly privileged:
"For a long time, I've been bugged... people have been coming to me asking me to run for governor. And I told them no repeatedly."
The subtext screamed entitlement. Of course people have been begging him to run. Of course he's the solution Arizona needs.
Key campaign promises included:
Immediate implementation of Arizona's DOGE (digital budget system)
Reinstating a border security task force
Comprehensive water resource management
Tax cut preservation
Ay, los sueños blancos—white dreams of maintaining power while pretending to solve systemic issues.
🌊 The Water Crisis: Colonial Water Politics Continue
Biggs' water discussion exposed the ongoing colonial approach to resource management. His solution? Negotiate with other Western states to prevent water waste, specifically calling out California's alleged 22 million acre-feet of water being "wasted" annually.
Internal monologue: White men discussing water rights on stolen Indigenous lands. The irony is so thick you could cut it with a colonial knife.
"California is blowing 22 million acre feet a year into the ocean. They save a quarter of that and change the entire West and water for the entire West."
Ay, qué cinismo—as if water management is a simple mathematical equation, ignoring centuries of environmental racism, Indigenous displacement, and ecological destruction.
🏫 Local Power Dynamics: Oro Valley's Architectural Battleground
The show's discussion of the Oro Valley Church of Nazarene's expansion revealed the ugly underbelly of suburban power struggles. DeSimone and Brenner critiqued neighborhood resistance to a 40-foot sanctuary expansion, revealing their pro-development, pro-religious institutional bias.
The hosts' commentary suggested the church should have carte blanche:
"You're better off being sued by the neighbors. If you say yes, then you are being sued by the church."
They even cited the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act—a legal mechanism that further entrenches institutional power under the guise of religious freedom.
💰 Budgetary Machinations: Systemic Inequity in Plain Sight
Conversations around the University of Arizona's budget exposed the ongoing shell game of institutional funding. Discussion of potential budget cuts and raises revealed a consistently privileged perspective on education funding.
Madre de Dios, another conversation about budget cuts that will inevitably harm students of color, working-class families, and adjunct professors.
🔍 Firearms and Local Governance: The Continuous Assault on Public Safety
The celebration of overturning Pima County's firearms reporting ordinance was particularly revealing. The Goldwater Institute's legal challenge against requiring reports of lost or stolen firearms demonstrated the ongoing prioritization of individual "rights" over community safety.
Internal dialogue: Another win for gun culture, another loss for communities of color who suffer most from gun violence.
🎤 Show Wrap-Up: A Mirror of Settler Colonial Consciousness
What did we learn? Tucson remains a complex political landscape where conservative rhetoric meets local realities—a continuous performance of power, privilege, and systemic marginalization.
¿Qué piensas? (What do you think?)
Drop a comment below! We're calling out the system, one broadcast at a time.
How do colonial power structures manifest in local Tucson politics?
What hidden narratives are being silenced in these discussions?
Con respeto y resistencia (With respect and resistance),
The Three Sonorans Team
