🎙️ MAGA Mythology and Mediterranean Meals: DeSimone's Show Serves Up Xenophobia with a Side of Hummus
🌮 Culinary Contradictions: How "Wake Up Live" Celebrates Immigrant Restaurateurs While Demonizing Immigrants
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 4/18/25.
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾
A radio show in Tucson talked about different topics. The hosts complained about homeless people in Tucson and said other cities handle it better by making them leave. They also talked about movies with cool special effects, from old ones like King Kong to newer ones like Lord of the Rings. Then they interviewed a restaurant owner who makes special food from Jordan, including dishes made with camel milk and upside-down rice. The hosts seemed to like immigrant business owners while saying negative things about immigrants in general, which doesn't make much sense.
🗝️ Takeaways
📺 Mark Van Buren's discussion of cinematic innovation shows conservatives can engage thoughtfully on culture when they step away from political talking points
🏠 The hosts' praise of Scottsdale's approach to homelessness reveals a troubling preference for criminalization over compassionate solutions
🧆 Reina's 32-year success story with Shish Kebab House highlights the vital contributions of immigrant entrepreneurs to Tucson's cultural fabric
🗣️ The cognitive dissonance between the show's immigrant-bashing segments and celebration of an immigrant-owned business exposes the contradictions in conservative thinking
🏫 DeSimone's attacks on TUSD and Amphi continue the right-wing tradition of undermining public institutions rather than supporting their improvement
MAGA Monologues and Mediterranean Marvels: A Progressive Dissection of "Wake Up Live"
In which your intrepid reporter ventures once more into the conservative echo chamber and returns with tales both troubling and tasty.
The latest installment of "Wake Up Live with Chris DeSimone" offered the usual conservative cocktail—two parts xenophobia, one part public institution bashing, with a garnish of businessman bonhomie. Yet amid the predictable MAGA messaging, we found culinary conversation worth savoring and even a film discussion that wasn't entirely filtered through a Fox News lens.
As we journey through this cognitive dissonance disco, I'll be your guide, providing context where it's conspicuously absent and calling out the casual cruelty that's become the conservative calling card. Buckle up, progressive readers. We're diving deep into the right-wing rabbit hole, but I promise we'll emerge with our humanity intact.
Opening Act: The Conservative Carnival Begins
The show opened with host Chris DeSimone holding court with his regular reactionaries—Ron Arenas from Picture Rocks Cooling and cinematically inclined Mark Van Buren. True to form, DeSimone wasted precious little airtime before launching into the first attack on public education.
"I'm telling you, if there's one school district that's going to F this up, it's TUSD," DeSimone declared, referring to a new cell phone policy. Not content with maligning just one district, he continued: "Other ones that will mess it up will be Amphi... That school board is weaker than a bridge made of wet fettuccine."
Because nothing says "I care about educational outcomes" quite like comparing elected officials to pasta, right?
This dismissive attitude toward public education is particularly galling considering the decades of systematic defunding that Arizona schools have endured under Republican leadership. Our state consistently ranks among the worst in per-pupil funding, teacher pay, and class sizes.
Yet rather than advocate for needed resources, conservative commentators prefer to mock the very institutions struggling to educate our children with inadequate support.
The Immigrant Boogeyman: Xenophobia on Display
The show quickly descended into even darker territory with a segment about an unidentified "MS13 guy from El Salvador." Drawing from the dubious source of "justnews.com," DeSimone recounted a tale of a "deported El Salvadorian man" who was supposedly flagged as a "suspect alien" involved in "human smuggling trafficking."
Most disturbing was DeSimone's contemptuous aside: "For some of you people who love the El Salvadorian guy, he's your lord and savior, Joe Biden has said that he's a suspect alien."
The dehumanization is the point, folks. When you reduce people to "the El Salvadorian guy" and mockingly suggest progressive people worship immigrants, you strip away their humanity and make cruelty toward them seem justified.
This segment perfectly encapsulates the right's strategy on immigration: present isolated incidents as representative, use dehumanizing language, and frame immigration as an invasion rather than a complex human phenomenon with economic and humanitarian dimensions.
A Tale of Two Cities: The "Unhoused Crisis" Double Standard
Perhaps the most revealing segment came when Ron Arenas recounted his trip to Scottsdale, expressing wonder that he "did not see one homeless person" during his week-long stay.
"I was in Scottsdale for a whole week. And we did not see one homeless person," Arenas marveled. "I'm not saying that there is no homeless people there... But driving around, there was no one on the corners. I rode 21 miles... There was no one shooting up next to the path. There was no tents."
This observation prompted a disturbing conversation about how different communities handle homelessness, laying bare the compassion deficit in conservative thinking.
"In all seriousness, this is totally what the political climate is in your city," Van Buren responded. "We live in Oro Valley, and I don't see homeless people up there. I'm sure there's some around. But they get escorted out or they get escorted to jail. And the thing is, if Tucson had that kind of mindset politically, then things would be different."
Translation: We prefer places where vulnerable people are criminalized and removed from public view rather than helped.
The hosts went on to complain that Tucson politicians "seem to think that the homeless people have more rights than the taxpayers and the business people" and that it's "ridiculous."
What's actually ridiculous is this false dichotomy between "taxpayers" and "homeless people"—as though unhoused individuals aren't community members deserving of dignity and support. The implication that the mere visible presence of poverty constitutes an infringement on business owners' rights reveals a profound moral failure.
"Why is it that the politicians don't have the same kind of empathy for business people?" Van Buren asked, apparently unaware that the business community has vastly more political power and resources than those experiencing homelessness.
Imagine thinking that the truly oppressed group in our society is...checks notes...business owners.
The conversation revealed the conservative preference for cosmetic solutions (removing visible poverty) over addressing root causes like housing affordability, mental health care access, substance abuse treatment, and economic inequality—many of which have been exacerbated by the very conservative policies these hosts champion.
A Cinematic Reprieve: Mark Van Buren's Movie Marathon
To his credit, Mark Van Buren provided one of the few segments not dripping with right-wing rhetoric. His countdown of "Top 20 Movies That Raised the Bar for Visual Effects" offered a thoughtful chronological journey through cinematic innovation, from King Kong (1933) to 300 (2006).
Van Buren made an interesting observation about modern cinema: "You've got CGI. You've got all these wonderful techniques that you can employ and put in your movie, and just make them incredible. But you forgot about the story. Why do we go back to Casablanca and Treasures of this Year of Madre and movies like that? You know why? Cause they were well written."
The discussion touched on groundbreaking films like The Wizard of Oz, Citizen Kane, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Lord of the Rings, highlighting how technological innovation should serve narrative rather than replace it.
"Wouldn't it be great if studios did an about-face and they said, you know what? We're going to employ the best writers out there, and we're going to come up with some unique original screenplays. Then, we're going to apply all this technology to it, and we're going to make some great movies. But they're not doing that," Van Buren lamented.
This segment offered a refreshing pause from the show's usual political posturing—proof that conservatives can engage thoughtfully on cultural topics when they step away from their talking points.
Local Business Spotlight: Reina from Shish Kebab House
The program's latter half featured Reina, owner of Shish Kebab House, which has been serving Tucson for an impressive 32 years. Her authentic discussion of Jordanian cuisine provided a genuine cultural bright spot in the show.
Reina detailed Jordanian specialties like Mensaf and Maglugha:
"So the Mensaf, what it is, is a dish made of goat milk, or you can use camel milk," Reina explained. "The one I've been using right now is a camel milk... It comes from Jordan, so I get it from the Arabic stores... And then we cook it, and then we serve it with lamb. A lot of herbs they love with the lamb and pine nuts."
"And then the Maglugha, what it is, we call it an upside-down dish," she continued. "So you have to fry eggplants, potatoes, cauliflower, and then with the chicken before lamb. Then we put it in a kettle and flip it. So that's what we call it upside down."
Her passion for authentic cooking techniques shone through as she explained how she makes hummus from scratch: she soaks dried garbanzos overnight with baking soda to help separate the skins for a smoother texture.
"I do it the original way," she noted with pride. "So I had to soak overnight and then the next day cook it with a little bit of baking soda... to build the skin."
It's fascinating how the same voices who earlier demonstrated such hostility toward immigrants showed nothing but reverence for this established immigrant business owner. The cognitive dissonance is almost as rich as Reina's camel milk Mensaf.
The conversation took an interesting turn when discussing the challenges of working with delivery apps like Uber Eats, revealing how tech companies often exploit small businesses:
"I just had to shut off Uber for the past week because they hacked my email," Reina shared. "Actually, it was my son's email,s and they created their own promotion. Giving 96% of every meal that I have in the venue."
This segment highlighted how immigrant entrepreneurs have contributed significantly to our community's cultural fabric—a point conveniently overlooked during the earlier immigrant-bashing portion of the show.
The Great Conservative Contradiction
What strikes me most about shows like "Wake Up Live" is the glaring cognitive dissonance on display. The same voices that demonize immigrants celebrate immigrant-owned businesses. The same people who criticize the government as inherently inefficient demand that the government remove unhoused people from public spaces. The same conservatives who complain about declining community values show little concern for our most vulnerable community members.
This contradiction extends to their selective concerns about economic issues. There is abundant sympathy when discussing business owners facing challenges from seeing poverty on the streets. But when it comes to addressing the economic conditions that create homelessness in the first place—wage stagnation, housing unaffordability, inadequate health care access—conservative solutions are conspicuously absent.
The conservative worldview as displayed on this show seems to be: "I don't want to help solve root problems AND I don't want to see the consequences of not solving them." Sorry, but that's not how reality works.
The show's treatment of homelessness is particularly revealing of this contradiction. Their complaints about Tucson's approach versus Scottsdale's or Oro Valley's ignore a crucial reality: pushing vulnerable people from one community to another doesn't solve homelessness—it just makes it someone else's problem. It's NIMBYism masquerading as policy critique.
Moreover, the hosts' framing of homelessness as primarily a business inconvenience rather than a human tragedy speaks volumes about their priorities. Their preferred approach—having unhoused people "escorted out or escorted to jail"—reveals a punitive mindset that has repeatedly failed when implemented.
Research consistently shows that Housing First approaches, combined with mental health and substance abuse services, are far more effective at addressing homelessness than criminalization. But acknowledging this would require admitting that compassionate progressive policies actually work better than tough-love conservative ones.
A Word of Hope and Call to Action
Despite the troubling narratives pushed on shows like "Wake Up Live," Tucson remains a resilient, diverse community with countless individuals and organizations working toward genuine solutions for our shared challenges. From mutual aid networks addressing food insecurity to grassroots organizations advocating for affordable housing, the progressive spirit of solidarity continues to thrive here.
The conservative commentary we hear on the airwaves represents just one perspective—and increasingly, a minority one in our evolving city. As we continue building a Tucson that works for everyone, let's remember that true community strength comes not from pushing people out but from pulling people in, creating systems where everyone can thrive regardless of their background or circumstances.
We at Three Sonorans remain committed to amplifying the voices that conservative media overlooks—the immigrants, the unhoused, the working poor, and all those fighting for a more just and equitable Tucson. Your support helps keep this alternative perspective alive in our media landscape.
Want to get involved? Consider supporting local organizations like Casa Maria, No More Deaths, or the Primavera Foundation. And of course, we welcome your support at Three Sonorans through subscriptions, donations, or simply sharing our content with others who value progressive perspectives on local issues.
What do you think about the contrasting approaches to homelessness between different municipalities in the Tucson area? Is prioritizing business interests over human dignity ever justifiable in public policy?
We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
Quotes:
Chris DeSimone on TUSD: "I'm telling you, if there's one school district that's going to F this up, it's TUSD. Other ones that will mess it up will be Amphi... That school board is weaker than a bridge made of wet fettuccine."
Chris DeSimone on immigrants: "For some of you people who love the El Salvadorian guy, he's your lord and savior, Joe Biden has said that he's a suspect alien."
Mark Van Buren on homelessness: "We live in Oro Valley, and I don't see homeless people up there. I'm sure there's some around. But they get escorted out or they get escorted to jail. And the thing is, if Tucson had that kind of mindset politically, then things would be different."
Ron Arenas on Scottsdale: "I was in Scottsdale for a whole week. And we did not see one homeless person... There was no one shooting up next to the path. There was no tents."
Mark Van Buren on modern cinema: "You've got CGI. You've got all these wonderful techniques that you can employ and put in your movie and just make them incredible. But you forgot about the story."
Reina on authentic cooking: "I do it from the original way. So I had to soak overnight and then the next day cook it with a little bit of baking soda... to build the skin."
Reina on delivery app problems: "I just had to shut off Uber the past week because they hacked my email... they create their own promotion. Giving 96% of every each meal that I have in the venue."
People Mentioned:
Chris DeSimone - Host of "Wake Up Live" podcast who made xenophobic comments about immigrants and criticized public school districts
Quote: "I'm telling you, if there's one school district that's going to F this up, it's TUSD."
Ron Arenas - Co-host from Picture Rocks Cooling who discussed his trip to Scottsdale
Quote: "I was in Scottsdale for a whole week. And we did not see one homeless person."
Mark Van Buren - Co-host who discussed movies and made comments about homelessness
Quote: "We live in Oro Valley and I don't see homeless people up there... they get escorted out or they get escorted to jail."
Reina - Owner of Shish Kebab House for 32 years who discussed Jordanian cuisine
Quote: "So the Mensaf, what it is, is a goat milk or you can use a camel milk... The one I've been using right now is a camel milk."
Rich Lopez - Representative from Westward Look Resort promoting their Easter brunch
Quote: "We have a seafood station... We have a carving station... Prime rib... We have a turkey."
Joe Biden - Mentioned in a derogatory context regarding immigration
Katie - Referred to as "racist Katie" in a passing comment about soda and government benefits
David Hogg - Referred to dismissively as "that little pipsqueak" and "vice chair of the Democrat Party"
AOC, Bernie, and Jasmine Crockett - Mentioned as "leaders of the party right now"
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