🔊 DeSimone's Echo Chamber: Green Valley Editor Reports Senior Citizens Rising Up Against Trump Policies
Local seniors show unprecedented turnout at protests while conservative host dismisses their concerns
This is based on Wake Up Live with Chris DeSimone, a maga-conservative podcast in Southern Arizona, which was broadcast by Live The Dream Media on 4/9/25.
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
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A local podcast called 🎙️ "Wake Up Live with Chris DeSimone" featured several guests talking about politics in Tucson and Arizona. The host and guests discussed large protests in Green Valley where hundreds of seniors were worried about education cuts 📚✂️ and other policies from the Trump administration. They also talked about tax cuts 💰 that mostly help wealthy people, while claiming everyone will benefit.
Some Libertarian guests were concerned about the government collecting too much information about people 🕵️♂️, but didn't mention how big companies do the same thing. The podcast didn't discuss important issues like climate change 🌎, healthcare 🏥, or how policies affect people who aren't wealthy. This shows how some political talk misses real problems that affect everyday people in Tucson. 🏙️
🗝️ Takeaways
👵 Approximately 700-800 seniors and community members rallied in Green Valley to protest Trump administration policies - the largest such gathering in recent memory
💸 Conservative guest Phil Kerpin pushed for extending Trump-era tax cuts using a reconciliation process, focusing on economic growth while ignoring growing wealth inequality
🏫 Host and guests questioned the value of the Department of Education while failing to acknowledge its role in supporting students with disabilities and enforcing civil rights
🕵️ Libertarian guests expressed concerns about government data collection under DOGE but remained silent about similar or greater privacy threats from corporations
🗣️ Throughout the three-hour podcast, voices and perspectives from marginalized communities were conspicuously absent
🔄 Conservative narrative consistently framed protest and dissent as illegitimate rather than as essential components of democratic participation
Behind the MAGA Microphone: A Progressive's Guide to the DeSimone Echo Chamber
"The old oligarch is that in Athens, you could not tell who the slave was and who a free man was because they were just, they just looked the same and acted the same." — Peter Norquist, Libertarian guest on Wake Up Live, apparently longing for a time when social classes were more visibly distinct. (Seriously, did he just accidentally argue FOR equality while trying to criticize ancient Athens?)
Tuning Into Tucson's Conservative Bubble
If you've ever wondered what it would be like to attend a family reunion where your politically problematic uncle invited all his equally problematic friends, look no further than "Wake Up Live with Chris DeSimone." This podcast from the man who wants to be the next Oro Valley Mayor offers listeners a front-row seat to the conservative echo chamber that continues to reverberate through Southern Arizona's political landscape.
Wednesday's episode (4/9/25) was a veritable smorgasbord of right-wing talking points, featuring an array of guests including Phil Kerpin from American Commitment, Dan Shearer from Green Valley News, and representatives from the Pima County Libertarian Party, Peter Norquist and Ken Richings.
What makes this show particularly fascinating isn't just what's discussed—it's what's conspicuously absent. Throughout nearly three hours of conversation, not once did I hear meaningful discussion about climate change (in Arizona, of all places!), healthcare accessibility, or the impact of policies on marginalized communities.
It's like watching someone do an elaborate dance around an elephant in the room, except the elephant is wearing a sign that says "systemic inequality" and the dancers are pretending they're alone on the dance floor.
Senior Citizens Rising Up: The Protest Coverage DeSimone Didn't Want You To Take Seriously
The episode began with Green Valley News editor Dan Shearer discussing recent protests in Green Valley and Sahuarita. Hundreds of seniors and community members gathered to voice concerns about the Trump administration's policies, particularly regarding education.
"It was the biggest one, and I've been there 16 years, it's the biggest one I've seen," Shearer reported, estimating "between 700 and 800 people were rallying at the same time for the same thing."
DeSimone's response? To frame these concerned citizens as out-of-touch elders who simply "didn't get the memo that they lost in November."
Because apparently in MAGA world, losing an election means surrendering your constitutional right to assemble and petition your government.
I'm sorry, I must have missed the fine print in the First Amendment that says "void during Republican administrations."
Shearer described protesters carrying signs with messages like "Hands off education" and expressing concerns about the Department of Education. Rather than engaging with these community members' legitimate fears about educational funding and accessibility, DeSimone repeatedly steered the conversation toward dismissing their concerns.
When Shearer mentioned protesters were worried about "what they see as this reigning chaos in the country," DeSimone responded by suggesting they would stop caring once "gas goes down in price" – a patronizing dismissal of elderly Americans exercising their civic duty.
"These are the things why the Republicans did what they did last year," DeSimone declared, labeling the protesters' concerns as "fringe" issues representing "the 20 of an 80 [percent split]."
This dismissive framing reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of democracy: it doesn't end at the ballot box. Our system depends on an engaged citizenry that continues to advocate for their values between elections.
The seniors in Green Valley grasping this concept better than DeSimone speaks volumes.
Phil Kerpin and the Never-Ending Promise of Trickle-Down Economics
American Commitment's Phil Kerpin joined to discuss tax policy, focusing primarily on extending Trump-era tax cuts through a budget reconciliation process. Throughout the conversation, the familiar conservative chorus emerged: tax cuts (primarily benefiting the wealthy) will supposedly lift all boats.
"The most important thing is to get the economy growing," Kerpin insisted. "We've got to have a productive economy. We've got to have economic growth or else, you know, if your income is falling, you really can't manage your debt."
Ah yes, the "let the rich keep more money and somehow the poor will benefit" theory of economics. How's that been working out for the past 40 years?
What this discussion conveniently ignored was how previous rounds of similar tax cuts have consistently failed to deliver their promised benefits to working-class Americans. Instead, they've contributed to ballooning deficits while concentrating wealth at the top. The conversation completely sidestepped any mention of who actually benefits most from these policies.
When DeSimone asked about the national debt, Kerpin pivoted to blaming Medicaid spending, claiming "Medicaid spending is up more than 50% in the last five years" and specifically targeting California for supposedly using federal Medicaid funding "to pay for illegal immigrants, even though they're not supposed to be eligible."
This misleading framing ignores that Medicaid expansion has provided healthcare to millions of Americans who previously lacked coverage, and that the program's growth reflects both pandemic response needs and a growing elderly population requiring care.
Notice how the conversation about deficits never seems to touch military spending or corporate subsidies? Funny how that works.
Dan Shearer on Education: Half-Truths and Missing Contexts
The conversation with Dan Shearer also touched on education policy, with both host and guest expressing skepticism about the Department of Education's value.
"The Department of Education is not that old. It hasn't been around all that long. Is it 70s? Yeah, I think it's late 70s," Shearer remarked, suggesting its relative newness somehow undermined its legitimacy.
This conversation lacked any substantive discussion of what the Department actually does—including administering Pell Grants that help low-income students attend college, enforcing civil rights laws in educational settings, and providing critical funding for students with disabilities.
DeSimone enthusiastically cited Mississippi's literacy improvements as evidence that states can handle education alone: "Mississippi was 49th in 10 years ago in elementary school literacy... they had 2023 data, right, moved the Mississippi up to the 21st and the fastest growth in reading comprehension of any state in the union."
This cherry-picked example conveniently ignored that Mississippi's improvement came after significant investment in teacher training and evidence-based reading instruction—exactly the kind of best-practice sharing the Department of Education facilitates across states.
It's like praising someone for solving a math problem while arguing we should fire all the math teachers.
The Libertarian Hour: When Fear of Government Blinds You to Corporate Power
The final segment featured libertarians Peter Norquist and Ken Richings discussing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Trump. Their criticism focused on how the department is consolidating government data:
"What we're concerned about is what's going to happen once people, agencies, nefarious people, have this consolidated information. What might they do?" Richings asked.
This concern about government overreach might seem refreshing compared to typical MAGA talking points. However, the conversation revealed a fundamental contradiction in libertarian thinking: intense fear of government power while ignoring similar or greater threats from unregulated corporate power.
"If the outcome we're looking for is a trimming of fat of government agencies and departments and related pursuits like just eliminating the Department of Education, for example. My concern... is what's happening with this data now that has been brought together from different agencies that previously were not speaking to each other," Richings explained.
When DeSimone pushed back, asking if they had raised similar concerns during previous administrations, Norquist's response was telling: "Well, so from a libertarian point of view, Chris, we always talk about... one bird, two wings, right? So you've got the left wing and the right wing."
That "both sides" rhetoric might sound enlightened, but it conveniently ignores which wing is actively trying to dismantle civil rights protections, voting access, and environmental regulations.
The segment climaxed with apocalyptic warnings about technology and surveillance, with Richings sharing concerns about "eye scanning devices to monitor, like in schools" and lamenting how "this is normalized behavior for kids who then grow up and they become adults for whom this is completely normalized."
What went unmentioned was how private companies already collect vast amounts of data on citizens with minimal regulation—or how concentrated wealth allows corporations to shape policy in ways that ordinary citizens cannot.
What This Conversation Reveals About the Right's Blind Spots
Throughout the three-hour podcast, several critical perspectives were glaringly absent:
No discussion of climate change: In a state facing severe drought, increasing temperatures, and water scarcity, not one word was dedicated to environmental challenges—perhaps because addressing them would require the kind of government action conservatives ideologically oppose.
Silence on healthcare: Despite being a life-or-death issue for many Tucsonans, healthcare accessibility received zero attention. The conversation about Medicaid focused exclusively on costs, never on the people whose lives depend on the program.
Economic inequality: While tax policy dominated part of the conversation, the growing wealth gap in our community was conveniently ignored. No mention of how wages have stagnated while corporate profits have soared.
Immigration humanity: References to immigrants were uniformly negative, focusing on costs and "illegal aliens" rather than recognizing the humanity of people seeking better lives or the economic contributions immigrants make to our community.
It's like they're playing a game of "How many real human experiences can we ignore while still pretending to care about 'the people'?"
Voices from the Margins: What DeSimone's Show Doesn't Want You to Hear
For every conservative talking point elevated on DeSimone's online podcast, there are countless Tucson voices going unheard:
The single mother working two jobs who can't afford healthcare because Arizona's Republican leadership has consistently undermined Medicaid expansion.
The public school teacher watching resources dwindle while hearing privileged commentators who've never set foot in their classroom explain why the Department of Education is unnecessary.
The young Tucsonan wondering if they'll be able to live in their hometown as climate change makes our desert city increasingly uninhabitable—a topic apparently not worthy of discussion on "Wake Up Live."
The immigrant family contributing to our community while being spoken about as if they're nothing more than a budget line item.
These are the real stories of Tucson—the ones that get lost in the conservative echo chamber.
A Ray of Hope in the Desert
Despite the troubling narratives propagated in shows like "Wake Up Live," Tucson remains a community where progressive values take root and flourish. The very protests in Green Valley that DeSimone dismissed represent the resilient spirit of civic engagement that continues to push back against harmful policies.
Those 700-800 protesters in Green Valley demonstrate that many of our neighbors—including seniors who have witnessed decades of political change—recognize the dangers of the current political moment and are willing to stand up for democracy, education, and human rights.
Throughout our city's history, Tucsonans have organized, advocated, and created change from the ground up. From the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s to today's climate justice organizing, our community has a rich tradition of standing for justice when political leaders fail to do so.
Getting Involved: Turning Frustration into Action
If listening to this kind of conservative commentary leaves you frustrated, channel that energy into local action:
Support local progressive journalism: Publications like the Tucson Sentinel and Arizona Luminaria provide crucial coverage that centers marginalized voices.
Attend city council and county supervisor meetings: Make your voice heard directly to local decision-makers.
Join community organizations: Groups like LUCHA Arizona, Tucson Tenants Union, and the People's Defense Initiative are doing important work on economic, housing, and criminal justice issues.
Register voters: With every election cycle, new voters can help shift our political landscape toward justice.
Remember that change happens not just in voting booths but in community meetings, mutual aid networks, protests, and everyday conversations with neighbors.
Questions for Reflection
What responsibility do local media figures have to present diverse perspectives rather than creating echo chambers of like-minded guests?
How can progressives effectively communicate the real-world impacts of conservative economic policies on working families in Southern Arizona?
I invite you to share your thoughts in the comments below. Together, we can work toward a more just, informed community that recognizes the humanity and dignity of all Tucsonans, not just those with wealth and power.
In solidarity and hope, Your Three Sonorans Journalist
Quotes from Interviews
"Those were the reasons why. Transgender care, all that type of stuff... But a lot of them just were opposed to what they see as this reigning chaos in the country." — Dan Shearer describing Green Valley protesters' concerns about the Trump administration
"Medicaid in particular... California is expecting $120 billion in federal Medicaid funding this year. A lot of that to pay for illegal immigrants, even though they're not supposed to be eligible." — Phil Kerpin making unsupported claims about Medicaid spending
"Hey Anna [Hernandez, Arizona Democrat], where was the tears for the 300 [thousand kids]... Biden was president, it was his customs and border protection that and ICE that said we can't find 300,000 children." — Chris DeSimone attacking Democrats for alleged hypocrisy on immigration policy
"From a libertarian point of view, Chris, we always talk about... one bird, two wings, right? So you've got the left wing and the right wing." — Peter Norquist attempting to position Libertarians above partisan politics
"Now it won't surprise you the two that they found to complain about this the most are the two foolish ladies from Arizona." — Chris DeSimone dismissing female Arizona legislators who criticized border policies
People Mentioned
Chris DeSimone (Host): "Don't get me wrong, the Republicans do the same thing." (When discussing political tribalism, showing rare acknowledgment of both-sides behavior)
Dan Shearer (Green Valley News Editor): "I felt like I was walking through a group of people who didn't get the memo, that they lost in November and this is why you lost." (Describing Green Valley protesters)
Phil Kerpin (American Commitment): "The most important thing is to get the economy growing. And we've got to have a productive economy. We've got to have economic growth or else, you know, if your income is falling, you really can't manage your debt." (Arguing for tax cuts)
Peter Norquist (Libertarian Party): "We focus on education because it's about winning hearts and minds in a sense. Right? And if you don't do that, nothing else is going to work." (On Libertarian strategy)
Ken Richings (Libertarian Party): "I was more fearful of the educated and scared." (In response to DeSimone's comment about "uneducated, scared" people during COVID)
Tom Homan (Former ICE Director): Mentioned as speaking at the Arizona legislature, causing Democrat legislators to walk out in protest
Heather Lappin (Former Sheriff Candidate): Discussed as filing a $2 million claim against Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos after being suspended weeks before an election she narrowly lost
Elon Musk: Discussed in context of DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) and complaints about data collection
Regina Romero and Adelita Grijalva: Local Democratic politicians criticized by DeSimone as "treating another woman in town like a piece of crap"
Stephen Wilson (Education Expert): Referenced for his work improving Massachusetts education system and concerns about AI replacing teachers in public schools
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