A former Democratic National Committee official offered a startling perspective on how the Biden administration essentially served as a “third term” for former President Barack Obama. Commentator and former campaign advisor Lindy Li appeared on the “Shawn Ryan Show,” discussing who was truly in charge during President Joe Biden’s run for the White House and sharing insights on Kamala Harris’s own campaign for president.
“A lot of people say it was Obama’s third term. There’s rumors of… And these aren’t even… These are friends of mine that are moderate Democrats, say that they thought it was Elizabeth Warren running it. They thought it was Bernie Sanders running it,” host Ryan said. “But I think the general consensus, I think if you asked the majority of the population, they think it was Obama’s third term.”
“It was for sure Obama’s third term. I don’t think that’s even a question,” Li replied. “That’s why you saw Obama fighting for his dear life. Why was he fighting so hard in the fall? Because he was fighting for his fourth term. He was fighting for his own legacy,” she continued, comparing the relationship between Obama and Biden to that between Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy.
“JFK had little respect for Lyndon B. Johnson, but he picked him anyway because he wanted to win the South. He wanted to win Texas. But he had very little respect for LBJ’s intellect. JFK was surrounded by his Harvard Braintrust, and he had immense disdain for LBJ’s Texas Hill country vibe,” she said.
“That was the same attitude that Obama had towards Biden. Obama thought that Biden would eventually f–k everything up. That’s eventually actually what happened. But also, he didn’t have much faith in Kamala Harris,” she said of the former vice president. “Before she ascended to the top role, he was vetting people like Mark Kelly and Andy Beshear. Most people, most party chieftains, didn’t have Kamala Harris as their number one choice. But in the party of DEI, you can’t skip a black woman. The optics would have been terrible.”
Li proceeded to name several individuals she claimed were truly running the country over the past four years, including Biden senior advisors Steve Ricchetti and Anita Dunn, as well as Mike Donilon, Biden’s former chief of staff Ron Klain, Jeff Zients, and Bob Bauer, his personal lawyer. When discussing Harris and her unsuccessful campaign, Li addressed recent revelations about the Democratic nominee’s decision not to appear on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
Li also shed some light on the many celebrities who came out to endorse Harris, exposing how they were paid to show up at campaign rallies and events. “Despite her repeated denials, Beyonce was paid,” she said. “Cardi B, who famously said she wasn’t paid. Her production company was paid to show up,” Li added. “Katy Perry was paid. Christina Aguilera was paid. Oprah wasn’t paid a million. She was paid $2 million. $2 million to Harpo Productions.”
