Kevin Hassett's Thanksgiving Pricing Claims Debunked

Walmart's Thanksgiving Meal Deal

• Walmart announced a Thanksgiving meal deal that was cheaper than the previous year's, a claim the White House promoted.
• 💡 The analysis reveals this price reduction was achieved by removing items from the meal and substituting brand-name products with cheaper store brands.

Debunking Kevin Hassett's Defense

• Kevin Hassett appeared on Sunday shows to defend the claim, suggesting criticism of generic brands was elitist.
• 🎯 Hassett argued that using generic or store-brand products is not a valid reason to dispute the lower price, framing it as an out-of-touch perspective.
• 🧠 The video counters that comparing generic brands to name brands is an apples-to-oranges comparison, and the price difference is due to product substitution, not actual price decreases for equivalent items.

Examples of Product Substitution

• 🛒 The Walmart website shows the meal deal includes Great Value brand gravy mix, which is significantly cheaper than McCormick's name-brand gravy.
• 🌽 Similarly, the deal features Great Value sweet corn, while the Del Monte brand corn is more than twice as expensive.
• ✅ These examples illustrate that the cheaper price is a direct result of using store brands, not a general decrease in food prices.

Political Ramifications

• ⚠️ The strategy of insisting everything is cheaper and great is seen as politically risky, potentially alienating voters who feel economic hardship.
• 📉 This tactic mirrors past political messaging that hurt candidates when people perceived economic difficulties, suggesting a similar outcome could occur.
• 📊 The current approach of downplaying economic concerns is likely to be reflected negatively in public opinion polls.