The Von Haessler Doctrine: S16/EP049 - "Ding Dang Deer"

·1 hr 49 min·5 clips

Eric Von Haessler explains how his team uses nightly research calls to decide what topics to discuss on air.

The episode opens with host Eric Von Haessler introducing his crew—Tim Andrews, Autumn Fisher, George Clark, and Jared Yamamoto—and explaining the show's unique production method. He reveals that a research team conducts nightly phone surveys, testing topics with the public; any idea with over 60% approval gets discussed on air. The crew then critiques station promos, arguing they misleadingly frame the show as focused on feminism, which they claim is inaccurate. A major segment follows, with Von Haessler lambasting neoconservative figures like Lindsey Graham for driving U.S. foreign policy into conflicts like the war with Iran, questioning their historical accuracy and motives. He notes the rapid depletion of military resources, such as interceptors being pulled from South Korea within a week. The discussion turns to domestic politics, using a Wall Street Journal story about Marco Rubio wearing shoes sized by Trump as an analogy for a cabinet unwilling to challenge the president. Later, the tone lightens with a comedic report on a surge in Ohio Bigfoot sightings, featuring a parody interview with a witness who insists it wasn't a deer. Other topics include AI-generated songs by Tilly Norwood and Laura Tomp, the economic 'E-shaped' recovery, and Senator John Cornyn's flip on the filibuster to secure Trump's endorsement. The episode blends political commentary, media critique, and humorous asides in the show's signature improvisational style.

As heard by us

A loose, dry panel riff on ghosts, AI Christmas ads, and the corporate logic behind the machine age.

Eric Von Hesler and the Doctrineers shape a wandering mix of research, ghost jokes, and AI chatter into a dry, uneasy read on corporate logic moving into everyday life.

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Why you'd press play

Press play when you want a rowdy Doctrine crew circling ghosts, AI Christmas ads, and one insurance bot that really should have been human.

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