Vance was at a supermarket in Reading, Pennsylvania with his sons to illustrate how grocery prices have been impacted by ‘Kamala Harris’s policies’
JD Vance was roundly mocked online over a trip to the supermarket where he bemoaned the steep price of eggs — and botched the photo opp.
The Republican vice presidential nominee stopped by a supermarket in Reading, Pennsylvania, with his sons over the weekend to illustrate how grocery prices have been impacted by “Kamala Harris’s policies” when he claimed a dozen eggs cost $4.
The problem? When footage of the visit emerged, Vance was quickly called out by viewers who spotted the price tag of a dozen eggs behind him was actually $2.99.
A multi-state outbreak of avian influenza, also known as bird flu, is leading to a jump in the price of eggs around the U.S. — an unhappy reminder for consumers that a range of unforeseen developments can trigger inflation.
As of April 24, a dozen large grade A eggs cost an average of $2.99, up nearly 16% from $2.52 in January, according to federal labor data. The price increase comes as nearly 9 million chickens across Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico and Texas have been discovered to be infected with bird flu in recent weeks, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That is crimping egg supplies, leading to higher prices.
LONG LAKE, Minn. — Minnesota shoppers may be experiencing some sticker shock as eggs again emerges as a hot commodity.
According to the USDA, the average wholesale price for a dozen large Grade A eggs reached $4.26 in the Midwest region. That's up $0.09 since last week, but up roughly 20% compared to what was recorded in last summer's consumer price index.
"I'm not surprised by the volatility," Loree Kinney, store director at the Orono Market explained. "There's volatility in milk, there's volatility in dairy products, and in meat. There's not much you can do about the supply and demand."
Indeed, economists have for months pointed to a bird flu outbreak as a key reason for dwindling supplies of eggs across the U.S. coming from major producers.
You can't really lay that much at Harris's feet, though.
I do kind of wonder how practical it would be to have some company just store powdered eggs if the prices are going to be jerking around that much. Can't do a sunny-side-up egg or anything like that, but for baking, it should be fine.
Exactly. Egg prices have gone up in large part because factory farming is unsustainable and we're starting to see that with flu outbreaks. Who'da thunk.
Yes, eggs should be from small farms with 12 chickens max each, that should solve everything, quality control, diseases and the high prices on eggs.
Same with everything else, factories make shitty products, you should rather order from a craftsman.
/s
PS:
Oh yes BTW, AFAIK the flu outbreaks started in nature, not on farms.
Edit:
The ignoratum around here is staggering.
I never argued that we shouldn't improve the conditions for chickens, but to argue we can have production in mostly any kind of farming today that isn't heavily mechanized and factory like is extremely ignorant. How else do you feed 300 million people in USA or 700 million in EU efficiently?
I'm downvoted for speaking the truth, and seemingly most people here wants to live a fantasy denying reality.
I personally buy organic eggs, and never from cages, but even that is factories, they just have slightly better conditions.
I know people who have their own chickens laying eggs, but even they can have diseases, so regulation for having your own has been increased a lot here (EU) lately for that too.
You do what you want, but to claim it's feasible to get rid of the "factories" is wishful thinking.
We can however improve the factories, so the chicken get better conditions. And we've been doing that already since the 60's.
Not to mention the price spike on eggs specifically is also way less than he would like to make it appear. Yes, in 2020 dollars, a dozen eggs was $1.50. But adjusted for inflation to today's dollars, that 1.50 is actually about 2 dollars today (inflation being a much broader issue and highly affected by covid). So the price didn't jump from 1.50 to 4 dollars, an increase of 167%, nor even from 1.5 to 3 dollars, an increase of 100%. It only went up from 2 dollars to just under 3 dollars (given the signs), an increase of just under 50 percent. Considering all the avian flu outbreaks that is an entirely reasonable price hike on a high demand good.
I see the point you are trying to make, but inflation doesn't quite when that way.
Comparing the prices of the same commodities at two different points in time is literally how inflation is calculated, the increase from $1.50 to $4 is real.
Now, what the inflation-adjusted dollars are telling you is that if eggs had only increased in price commensurate with general inflation, they would have gone from $1.50 to $2. The extra $2 increase is above what a consumer would expect given the general increase in the prices of everything else. If someone (magically) had a salary that increases with inflation, they would find eggs today to be a larger fraction of their spending if they kept the same level of consumption.
Eggs are more expensive both in absolute and relative to other products. The reasons for this are complex, but due in no small part to people continuing to buy large quantities of eggs even when they were heinously expensive in the early days of the pandemic. The market absorbed that information and came to the conclusion that eggs were previously undervalued.
I think they know this but it won’t help their campaign. That’s the state of US politics. Just like the gas prices. Biden was blamed for increasing gas prices while all the gas companies showed record profits because they just increased their prices.
He said his three kids—7,4 and 3 years old—eat “14 eggs every single morning”. Either he’s an idiot or the toddlers are training to fight Dolph Lundgren.
I am sure the actual quote is even stupider than I can imagine but:
Three kids. Let's assume 3 sunny side up eggs for him, 7, and 4. That gets 9. Then whatever his couch eats so let's say 10-11. Then another 3 or 4 for a "big pile of scrambled eggs" for the 3 year old and for the 4 year old to actually eat because yucky runny eggs. And then whatever his servants are able to sneak off to feed themselves.
It is very reasonable for a household that doesn't care about money or food waste.
I mean .... Vance is an idiot, but I have three boys. Between me, my wife, and my three kids, we each eat 2-3 eggs worth of scrambled eggs some mornings. 5x2 is 10, 5x3 is 15. That's right in line with his claims, if he counts himself and wife, which he probably is and just being an idiot again.
That said, I don't have eggs EVERY DAY. FFS my cholesterol would be sky high. I do buy 10-15 dozen eggs at a time, though, because the local farmer's market sells 15 dozen for $25-30 and eggs will keep for 6-10 weeks in the fridge that is consistently the same low, near freezing temp (perfect for the outdoor, secondary fridge).
Further, in the specific circumstances where eggs are the source of dietary cholesterol, an improvement in dyslipidemias is observed due to the formation of less atherogenic lipoproteins and changes in HDL associated with a more efficient reverse cholesterol transport. However, if the cholesterol sources are consumed with saturated and trans fats, as happens in the Western diet pattern, increases in plasma cholesterol may be observed.
Do we know that's actually the reason the prices doubled (and is jt still a valid reason)? Or is it mostly just unchecked gouging like almost all other groceries?
First one, then the other, and that's why Kroger is getting their asses sued off by the FTC under Biden appointee Lina Khan. The avian flu issue was a legitimate supply/demand squeeze for a little while, until it wasn't, and Kroger didn't back down an inch, so the FTC is stepping in.
It's probably both. You find an excuse to raise prices, you build in some extra margin so you only have to raise the price in one big go instead of smaller increments that better reflect market prices. Your competitors do the same, and you just tell everyone there's nothing you can do, it's just inflation.
Either way though, it has nothing to do with top level leadership. It's either something the FTC needs to take care of (price gouging) or the USDA (avian flu).
Why is this dude this bad at being a politician? I feel like if you pick a random person off the street and swapped places with Vance, they would have more charisma, and also more experience with groceries and donut shops.
Yeah at the time he was picked it was purely a gesture of goodwill towards Vance's techno-capitalist sponsors (Thiel and co). I am confident trump thought they had it in the bag against sleepy Joe and his team wasn't thinking too hard about strategy at the time.
Now they're scrambling but it doesn't seem to be working. they'll probably just try another coup after the election
I feel like if you pick a random person off the street and swapped places with Vance, they would have more charisma, and also more experience with groceries and donut shops.
Well, ANYONE would be better than Putin. Even most drunk alcoholic from streets.
Quote: "now a dozen eggs will cost you around four dollars thanks to Kamala Harris' inflationary policies".
Checks source: Average cost $4.10.
Edit: I’ve updated this post to reflect the point of it being posted in News.
The problem? When footage of the visit emerged, Vance was quickly called out by viewers who spotted the price tag of a dozen eggs behind him was actually $2.99.
– Vance is being called out for saying eggs cost around $4 while standing in front of eggs that costs $3 when in fact the average cost for eggs he is standing in front of is $4.10.
I hate that this is the bullshit we spend our time arguing over.
Strong agree. I think most people just go for the low hanging fruit because they don't actually care enough to be invested in policy. The vast majority of "news" is just trash to generate clicks and engagement and we all suck it up like calorie-free frappaccinos.
I posted earlier in response to his full comment regarding the "inflation explosion act". This is something worth reading about - that the Inflation Reduction Act has not had any immediate impact on inflation to date (up or down). Others here have accurately commented about the disease spreading across poultry farms which has most impacted the costs of eggs in particular.
Well the Democrats are running a campaign on Joy and "Look how shitty and Dumb those guys are".
So I am not expecting good political discussion around this election.
Everyone seeks the validation they crave, of being right before they ask any questions or have to look at reality. And that means ignoring issues to prove they are the most morally connected to their side of righteousness.
Each side is gonna provide their snippets to their sycophants to feel superior.
I just want to point out that the box he is holding... well it's not a dozen eggs. That's more like.. 30 eggs? or something. 5 rows times 6 rows, if my eyes aren't deceiving me. No idea how many eggs are in all those boxes behind the price tags, of course, but still. Saying a dozen when you're holding two-dozen or more is also a lie. :p
Edit: or is it 6 x 6 rows? That's 3 dozen eggs he's holding.
Edit2: not sure why the downvote. I'm not making it up, you can see him holding the box.
I fail to see how that is relevant at all. He could be holding a steak or a roll of paper towels standing in front of bananas or at a car dealership and speak about the cost of a dozen eggs.
What is relevant is his claim that "Harris' inflationary policies" had an impact on the price of items at grocery stores. This is untrue.
I think I get it. The internet wants to call out every detail in an image as if they're true crime detectives. They want to be more right than everyone else. But only based on the most simple piece of content possible. If it requires reading a few paragraphs, or finding your own source material that a news outlet fails to provide, or using a middle school degree of reading / listening comprehension that's too much work. I did that here, and hate that it needed to be done, to back up my previous comments elsewhere in this thread.
Do they need Peskov? Volodin says he is so good, that he works for National Tresure(Putin). He can lie even when silent. He is kinda national treasure too, but Republicans(or anyone else) can have him for free if they choose self-pickup.
Well I mean you can get eggs for $4. You don't have to, but you can. It depends on how well you want the chickens to be treated.
I mean don't get me wrong, Vance is still a fucking tool. But the prices of premium products do not reflect the prices of what the average working class consumer can afford.
"Kamala Harris’s policies"? Well, I guess we don't need an election is she's already in office making these policies exist in reality.
This isn't anything new, I've seen GOP defenders in comments say the same thing. For some reason she's already doing things outside the VP job just because she's running for President. They sure forgot Biden fast, as well as things put into place by their favored Trump when he was slashing and burning in office. It's the old "look at the gas prices" ignorance.
I had a person talking at me the other day because of my retail job. They said, "I can't understand why someone would vote for someone, if you've already seen them in power and you don't like what you see."
I said, "Exactly! Makes perfect sense."
Then they went on to add, "I mean, she's been in the White House 3 and a half years!"
Not just GOP defenders. She's personally sending arms to Israel because she apparently sets that policy. She also, for some reason I just can't imagine, refuses to call her boss a war criminal.
Oh well, at least we can call her "Holocaust Harris," am I right? Because that's not super fucking offensive to more than one group of people.
I remember reading somewhere that it was likely something he picked up from his wife, as it is apparently not uncommon in India?
That could have been a lie, but honestly who cares how the guy chooses to dress or present? His views and words are toxic enough that we don’t need to resort to personal attacks on his appearance; calling him and his ilk ‘weird’ is more cutting to them than anything else.
My problem with it, and this might be wrong so sorry if i am, is that he doesnt have a clue how the people he represents live. Politics have separated from the people and he doesnt recognize this.
Instead of understanding his job or his land, he seem to care more for his looks. Its another little step in diverting from the people.
I personally have no problem at all if someone just does what he/she likes as long as no boundaries are hurt. Im happy that this gets more common these days.
The conservative folks I talk to always, always, always bring up the price of eggs and the price of gas when they are talking about how bad the economy is these days.
I've heard "Groceries have doubled in price." many times. Obviously I can't prove that's not true for them, but then I ask what items that they buy regularly have doubled in price? The answer: "Eggs".
Okay, so what else, I know that eggs alone do not make up your entire grocery bill? "Everything". That's pretty much all I get.
Even if they can tell me a few more things that have doubled in price, it's basically going to be outliers or things I know for a fact they rarely/never buy. Like when it comes to the eggs, they'll make claims like "eggs are $10 a dozen", but when pressed about it, you find out they're talking about the gourmet premium brand that's always been way more expensive than the cheap ones and which they've never purchased in their entire lives.
Okay but groceries actually have doubled in price. Where they're wrong is the blame. They blame Biden, who actually got the trust busting stick out. While giving a pass to GOP leaders who just keep blaming the poor while grocery chains gleefully price gouge us.
I consume a lot of cottage cheese. Pre-Covid the 48oz container I buy cost about $2.50. The price spiked to about $5.00 during quarantine and has since fallen down to about $3.00. There's a lot of items that have followed similar trends and, while they're more expensive than they were in early 2020, they're not at their Covid spike prices which is what everyone seems to think.
The "gourmet premium eggs" (regular eggs laid by pastured chickens instead of life-in-a-tiny-cage chickens) also barely increased in price during the covid/bird flu/supply chain price gouge excuses.
Weird thing is, sometimes the "premium" eggs are cheaper than the standard eggs, because the prices don't fluctuate nearly as much. I have a thing of cage free brown eggs in my fridge that was actually cheaper than the plain, white store brand eggs right now.
I'm not a right winger and while I can't give specifics exactly, I do basically buy the same things every week because I'm boring like that. All cheap stuff, no organic or gourmet anything. I can say that in the last say 18 months I went from spending $65-$80/week depending on whether I was restocking non food items, to spending $110-120/week. Not exactly double, but damn close.
To get it back to the 70ish I now just eat less and I don't buy any extras like anything premade. :/
This story is absolutely trash. Here's a link to the video I presume this trash article is referring to https://x.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1837581418329002260 You can see, like every grocery store I've ever been to, a number of different prices for eggs, including at least three for $4.99 and one for $3.99.
EDIT: Here's the photo op since some people prefer to comment on headlines rather than source material.
The average price of visible price tags is $4.10. Though I still argue that the literal price tag on these eggs is far from the relevant point of his words. Arguing over the average value in the background of an image is wholly irrelevant to a politician making claims about policy.
The take away from this video shouldn't be hurdur the tag says $2.99 but the discussion of his claim about "Kamala Harris' inflationary policies" and "because she cast a deciding vote on the Inflation Explosion Act". At least, that's what a reputably news organization would give a shit about discussing.
This article from PBS quotes Alex Arnon, an economic and budget analyst for the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Wharton Budget Model, “We can say with pretty strong confidence that it was mostly other factors that have brought inflation down,’’ he said. “The IRA has just not been a significant factor.’’
This bit from Wiki says "the benefits of the Act will likely not be felt before the 2024 election, but that the Act is a great long-term strategy to decouple from volatile energy markets that drive inflation and that the Act will reduce inflation over the medium to long-term."
The Inflation Reduction Act actually had very little to do with inflation or the price of eggs. The price of eggs has been mostly dictated by disease and the need to slaughter millions of birds.
Moreover, I understand the (under/misinformed) complaint people have about rising egg prices as it pertains to kitchen table economics. However, from the perspective of what we're putting into our bodies and paying people a fair wage to do honest work, we should be complaining that eggs are too cheap.
Of all things, it continues to shock me how inexpensive eggs are. I've been paying $5-$7 for a dozen eggs from local producers for about ten years. They're noticeably more delicious, it's less impactful to the environment, the chickens are far less prone to disease, I assume the chickens are healthier and have a better diet, my dollars go towards a local economy not some billion dollar corporation on the other side of the country.
The take away from this video shouldn’t be hurdur the tag says $2.99
This is supposed to be a man that could be president and he can't just double check something like the price of the eggs he's standing next to when he's doing a photo op. Literally all he had to do was look and he didn't have that level of attention to what was happening around him.
How did you get to that part while ignoring the preceding sentence?
Here’s a link to the video I presume this trash article is referring to https://x.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1837581418329002260 You can see, like every grocery store I’ve ever been to, a number of different prices for eggs, including at least three for $4.99 and one for $3.99.
Every store has eggs tagged at different prices depending on what kind they are. If you look quickly and see more signs that start with $4 than $2, would you say eggs are $2.99 or "around $4"?
I'm really amazed at the ignorance, be it willful or not, all Americans are capable of.
I've been rewatching Veep in honor of Kamala and only having moderate anxiety going into November and... this is the kind of shit even Selina wouldn't have screwed up on. Part of that is very much that Selina might be a horrible person but she is a fundamentally good leader who cares about The American People.
But it is also just that this level of unforced error from candidates with entire political parties behind them should be unfathomable. Even Veep usually had to make convoluted situations for why Selina would always be blindsided by something The Main Party did or what horrible tragedy she was accidentally mocking that week.
Unfortunately, these people can get away with anything in the current political environment. It has no consequences. Their followers hear only what they say and none of the corrections and criticism.
Once you break through the line of just making shit up about people with a different skin tone than your own eating household pets and s
promoting this to the level of a key element of your campaign, adding a couple of bucks to the price of something even with the real price in plain view comes super easy.
I bet this guy has literally peed on someone and told them it was raining.
He is an idiot but the price of eggs is definitely up quite a bit. Cheapest near me is $3.70/dozen. That is over double what it was a couple years ago. Bird flu is part of it but considering how much collusion there has been in the market (my AG sent people a decent check sadist of successful lawsuits against poultry and pork producers for price fixing), I wouldn't be surprised if that was part of it.
But if he is trying to make it seem like there is massive inflation in the good market overall, he is wrong. Food price inflation has been lower than general inflation for a bit. Granted much of it is still much higher than it should be.
If you're buying the premium small family farm eggs, sure. There's also the basic bottom shelf eggs. Those eggs aren't $7-8 a dozen anywhere. The US average is $3
No, the actual price of eggs in the location he was is about right.
The national average is $3.20 per dozen, and Reading, PA is usually a bit below average (lol)
I've read yesterday on another post here on lemmy, I don't make this shit up that some republican was questioning this news article. I just can't remember which user it was.