🎙️ The DeSimone Diaries: Oro Valley Mayoral Candidate Delivers Scathing "Eulogy" for Raúl Grijalva
How right-wing radio in Tucson transforms political disagreement into personal vilification
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾
📻 A popular radio show in Tucson called "Wake Up Live with Chris DeSimone" recently featured several guests talking about local businesses, marketing, and politics. 🎙️ The host started by criticizing a congressman who had just died, calling him harmful to the community. Then, they interviewed a successful food truck owner who shared advice for other entrepreneurs. 🚚 A marketing expert explained why businesses need to be patient instead of expecting quick results. 📈 Two politicians also appeared – one talked about budget fights in Washington, and another discussed a new law that would keep homeless people with drug problems in treatment centers longer. 🏛️ The show reveals how conservative radio stations present their views about local issues in ways that create a strong sense of "us versus them" in our community. 🆚
🗝️ Takeaways
🔥 Conservative radio host Chris DeSimone used Congressman Raúl Grijalva's passing as an opportunity for harsh criticism, calling him "the most destructive human being to the people of Pima County" and comparing him to "a Hispanic Al Sharpton."
🍔 Local entrepreneur Gabe has built Blacktop Grill from a struggling food truck into a successful multi-location business, emphasizing the importance of starting simple and having patience
📊 Marketing expert Melissa Bell recommends businesses focus on building trust before asking for customer information, warning against expecting instant results from marketing efforts
💰 Congressman David Schweikert framed the recent Continuing Resolution as a strategic win, forcing Democrats to either accept Republican terms or take responsibility for a government shutdown
🏥 State Senator Vince Leach's bill extending detention for unhoused individuals with substance use disorders from two to five days passed the Senate with zero Democratic votes, despite his insistence that it's completely voluntary
🗣️ Conservative media often sandwiches controversial political content between non-controversial local interest stories, helping normalize divisive viewpoints while building in-group identity
The Conservative Echo Chamber: Inside Tucson's Right-Wing Radio Bubble
If you've ever wondered what unfolds behind the microphones of Tucson's conservative talk radio, pull up a chair. I recently dove into the Friday, March 14th, 2025, episode of "Wake Up Live with Chris DeSimone" on the Live the Dream Media Network, and what I found was a revealing tapestry of right-wing rhetoric, local business promotion, and unfiltered commentary that offers fascinating insights into how conservative narratives are crafted and disseminated in our community.
Grijalva's Ghost: When Obituaries Turn to Character Assassination
The show's opening segment on March 14th was nothing short of shocking. Host Chris DeSimone used the occasion of Congressman Raúl Grijalva's passing to unleash a torrent of vitriol against the longtime progressive representative.
"I can't think of a more destructive human being to the people of Pima County than Raul Grijalva," DeSimone declared, barely a day after the congressman's death. "Now, I've always said that the godfathers of Pima were Raul Grijalva, Dan Ekstrom, and Chuck Huckleberry. And I will tell you that if I had to pick one of them as the most destructive, it's Raul Grijalva."
Nothing says "respect for the deceased," quite like calling them the most destructive force in local history before their body is even cold, right?
DeSimone went further, comparing Grijalva to "a Hispanic Al Sharpton" and claiming he was "that race grifter kind of guy," assertions that dripped with racial undertones and dismissiveness toward civil rights advocacy. Throughout this segment, DeSimone positioned himself as the arbiter of what truly helps or hurts Hispanic communities:
"What happened was, any piece of business that didn't come to Arizona and to the hotels in his own quote, I love Tucson, but you keep either ignoring the pain of Tucson or inflict pain on Tucson, and Raul was one of the kings of that. But you screwed over working Hispanic families."
This reframing of Grijalva's advocacy for immigrant rights and opposition to SB 1070 as somehow harmful to Hispanic families exemplifies a common conservative media tactic: claiming that progressive policies hurt the very communities they aim to protect while positioning conservative voices as the "true" defenders of these groups.
Fascinating how these self-appointed champions of Hispanic communities never seem to ask actual Hispanic voters what they think, isn't it? Grijalva was re-elected nine times in majority-Hispanic districts, but surely DeSimone knows better than those voters what's good for them.
From Street Food to Success Stories: Gabe's Blacktop Grill Journey
After the politically charged opening, the show pivoted to a conversation with Gabe, the owner of Blacktop Grill. Gabe started as a food truck entrepreneur in 2014 and has since expanded to multiple trucks and a brick-and-mortar location.
"Around that time, not only did I clinch the restaurant, you know, with whatever it takes to like clinch a restaurant, but I just started writing," Gabe explained, discussing his book "Food Truck Success Manual." His story of beginning with just "three items sold" on his first night to building a thriving local brand offered genuine entrepreneurial wisdom.
The segment showcased Blacktop Grill's creative menu items like the mango quesadilla ("mango, diced jalapenos, cream cheese, and a high-quality asadero") and street corn with house-made chipotle lime and chorizo. Gabe also shared his top three pieces of advice for aspiring food truck owners:
"Number one, don't buy a truck from out of town because Pima County has certain standards... Number two, keep your menu simple... And then I think number three, nothing happens overnight."
It was a refreshing segment highlighting local innovation. However, the juxtaposition with the previous Grijalva critique unintentionally revealed how conservative media often transitions seamlessly between divisive political commentary and celebrations of individual entrepreneurship – reinforcing the narrative that success comes solely through personal initiative rather than through any collective or systemic support.
Notice how we never hear about the government infrastructure, regulations ensuring food safety, or community development that creates the environment where these businesses can thrive? It's always the "lone entrepreneur" narrative, as if these businesses exist in a vacuum.
Digital Marketing Decoded: Melissa Bell's GRIT Approach
Marketing expert Melissa Bell offered insights from her company GRIT (Genuine storytelling, Results-oriented, Iterative approach, Tenacious). Her segment included sharp observations about ineffective marketing tactics, particularly what she called the "Ozempic analogy":
"Everybody thinks, and this is the kind of recent thing I've been spinning on. I hear a lot of people talking about marketing. A, everybody thinks they get it, but B, it's not a Ozempic. Like everybody just wants to like inject marketing into like their business. Yeah. And it's like, okay."
She continued: "Even if I know it serves a very good purpose, so I'm not trying to, you know, dog Ozempic people obviously have the drug for a reason, but I've, you know, had people in the friend group that say, I just want to lose like five or 10 pounds. I'm going to go on Ozempic, but you got to do stuff around that, you know, you probably, you might need to clean up the diet."
Bell emphasized the importance of building trust through content before asking for customer information:
"If you feed them enough information and you develop trust, they're going to come to you anyways. So, I'll definitely find their way. You don't have to like... If I let them..."
This perspective on building authentic digital relationships stood in interesting contrast to the show's bombastic approach, highlighting again how conservative media often values different communication styles for business versus political discourse.
Isn't it telling that the marketing expert advises building trust and avoiding manipulative tactics, while political commentators on the same show feel perfectly comfortable with character assassination and racial dog whistles?
The Congressional Connection: Rep. David Schweikert on Budget Politics
The conversation with Republican Congressman David Schweikert focused primarily on recent budget battles in Congress. Schweikert defended his support for a Continuing Resolution (CR) as a pragmatic choice:
"It's one of those occasions, it really was a binary choice. Do you run it out and just at least allow saying, we don't have to be in the middle of budget fights on current operations. We can go back to fixing the tax issues we're working on, what we can modernize, what we need to cut, everything else in government, or we can spend day after day after day fighting with everyone who wants a little more spending here or wants a little larger here."
The conversation revealed the strategic positioning of Republicans in the current divided government:
"We squeezed the Democrats into saying, except what we're doing, or you can block it in the Senate. They had the votes to block it. But they, for the first time, would be absolutely responsible for, you know, closing the Grand Canyon, you know, all the theater that comes, all the things that happen when you don't have spending authorization."
Schweikert also discussed his vision for healthcare technology, emphasizing individual data sovereignty:
"Healthcare is becoming a collective. If you use the technology the right way, and that's actually what we've laid out, we once again give you back personal control of your life."
Ah yes, "personal control of your life" – conservative-speak for "you're on your own if you get sick and can't afford care." But hey, at least you'll own your medical data!
Crime and Punishment: State Senator Vince Leach's Legislative Agenda
State Senator Vince Leach discussed his bill (SB 1257) designed to extend the holding period for unhoused individuals with substance use disorders from two to five days.
"We have a two-day cycle. That's all we could hold people, two days. And then you turn them back out. You're not going to detox somebody in two days," Leach explained. "We went back with a bill in the Senate and said, and anybody that's court ordered for five days of this bill. You need to get a little bit of detox because the problem is it takes about five days to get your mind clear off of meth."
When pressed about whether this constituted forced detention, Leach insisted:
"Any time they have all the benefits, everything, and all the rights of a person, no rights are being taken away. And if they say stop, you stop. So they're temporarily being detained for five days? Five days. And that's not against their own free will. If they want to leave, they can leave."
This curious framing – a "court-ordered stabilization" that people can apparently leave at any time – exemplifies the linguistic gymnastics often employed to make punitive measures sound compassionate. The bill passed the Senate with zero Democratic votes.
Let me get this straight – it's "court-ordered" but completely voluntary? That's like saying homework is mandatory but optional. The cognitive dissonance is astounding.
Leach also touched on the stalled state budget process, expressing frustration with the lack of progress:
"There's virtually, there's not going to be any money guys. Guys, how is your deficit working? Cause aren't we 263 million dollars short? No, no, no, no, no, we're not, we don't have a deficit."
He contradicted himself almost immediately, explaining that there are significant outstanding obligations that aren't officially counted as a "deficit." This rhetorical sleight-of-hand—denying structural problems while acknowledging their symptoms—is emblematic of how fiscal issues are often discussed in conservative media.
The Media Mirror: What Conservative Radio Reveals About Our Community
What makes this broadcast particularly worthy of analysis isn't just its content but what it reveals about media consumption in our community. Conservative talk radio thrives on a specific formula: fiery political commentary, local business connections, and the cultivation of a distinct cultural identity based on geography, values, and opposition to progressive politics.
The DeSimone show exemplifies how conservative media creates parallel narratives about our shared community experiences. In this reality, Raúl Grijalva wasn't a champion for environmental justice and immigrant rights who represented his district for decades with strong voter support – he was a "destructive force" and "race grifter." Policies addressing homelessness aren't about providing housing and services – they're about "court-ordered stabilization" of individuals who are portrayed primarily as nuisances to business owners.
These narrative divergences aren't just political disagreements – they represent fundamentally different understandings of our community's history, challenges, and identity. They remind us that while we may share physical space in Tucson and Southern Arizona, we increasingly inhabit different information ecosystems that color how we see our neighbors and our collective challenges.
From Media Critique to Community Action
Understanding conservative media narratives isn't merely an academic exercise – it's essential for anyone seeking to build bridges across our community's political divides. By recognizing how these narratives are constructed and amplified, we can better understand why our neighbors might see the same issues so differently.
If we hope to address Tucson's very real challenges – from affordable housing to economic development – we need to find ways to communicate across these narrative divides. This doesn't mean abandoning our values or uncritically accepting harmful rhetoric, but it does require understanding how different media ecosystems shape perception.
There's hope in recognizing that beneath the divisive framing and heated rhetoric, many of the concerns expressed on shows like DeSimone's reflect genuine community issues: economic opportunity, public safety, and effective governance. The pathway to productive dialogue isn't pretending these different perspectives don't exist – it's understanding them well enough to find common ground where possible and to articulate clear, compelling alternative visions where needed.
What media voices do you trust to give you an accurate picture of our community? How might we build spaces for dialogue that acknowledge different perspectives while still maintaining a commitment to factual accuracy and human dignity?
I invite you to share your thoughts in the comments below. Together, we can work toward a media landscape that fosters understanding rather than division and a community conversation that honors the complexity of our shared challenges and aspirations.
Quotes:
"I can't think of a more destructive human being to the people of Pima County than Raul Grijalva." - Chris DeSimone, just one day after Congressman Grijalva's death
"Overall, Raul Grijalva was the closest thing to a Hispanic Al Sharpton you could have in a community. Right? Kind of that race grifter kind of guy, but doing it in the Hispanic Latino sphere." - Chris DeSimone, characterizing Grijalva's advocacy work in racially charged terms
"It's not a Ozempic. Like everybody just wants to like inject marketing into like their business." - Melissa Bell of GRIT Marketing, comparing ineffective marketing approaches to people seeking quick weight loss solutions
"We squeezed the Democrats into saying, except what we're doing, or you can block it in the Senate. They had the votes to block it. But they, for the first time, would be absolutely responsible for, you know, closing the Grand Canyon." - Rep. David Schweikert, explaining the political strategy behind the Continuing Resolution vote
"Any time they have all the benefits, everything, and all the rights of a person, no rights are being taken away. And if they say stop, you stop. So they're temporarily being detained for five days? Five days. And that's not against their own free will. If they want to leave, they can leave." - State Senator Vince Leach, attempting to explain how a "court-ordered stabilization period" for unhoused people is somehow completely voluntary
"We're going to hold people. We're going to put them in jail, incarcerate them. And they... Well, it's against their theory that some of them have, most of the media have." - State Senator Vince Leach, complaining about how the Phoenix press characterized his detention bill
People Mentioned and Notable Quotes:
Raúl Grijalva - Recently deceased Democratic Congressman from Arizona
"The amount of lives that were ruined because of Raul Grahalva are legion." - Chris DeSimone
Chris DeSimone - Host of "Wake Up Live" on Live the Dream Media Network
"He's screwed over working Hispanic families."
Gabe - Owner of Blacktop Grill restaurants and food trucks
"Nothing happens overnight. I think everybody expects to make that big buck now like right out the gate."
Melissa Bell - Founder of GRIT Marketing
"If you feed them enough information and you develop trust, they're going to come to you anyways."
David Schweikert - Republican U.S. Congressman
"Healthcare is becoming a collective. If you use the technology the right way, and that's actually what we've laid out, we once again give you back personal control of your life."
Vince Leach - Arizona State Senator
"We have a two day cycle. That's all we could hold people, two days. And then you turn them back out. You're not going to detox somebody in two days."
Dan Eckstrom - Former Pima County figure referenced as part of the "unholy trinity" with Grijalva and Huckleberry
Chuck Huckleberry - Former Pima County Administrator, also referenced as part of the "unholy trinity"
"Between Dan and Raul, their spawn physically or spiritually are still infesting Tucson." - Chris DeSimone
Shaun McClusky - Co-host or regular on the show
"I drive by and I look, I pay attention to the details. Yeah. And somebody's using a white zip tie. If I like the candidate, I'll call them and say, Hey, idiot."
Katie Hobbs - Democratic Governor of Arizona
"The governor has said that she wants to have a brand new prop one, two, three." - Vince Leach, discussing budget negotiations
Al Melvin - Deceased former Arizona State Senator
"Once he snapped the chalk line, once he set his path, he was there. There was no deviation." - Vince Leach, reminiscing about Melvin
How sad! The late Raul Grijalva shows us more humanity in his current state than the entire pack of bottom-feeders who have attacked him so shamelessly.