Special Briefing
IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL DAILY BRIEF

Bouncing Back

The Super Tuesday Dossier

This is an OZY Special Briefing, an extension of the Presidential Daily Brief. The Special Briefing tells you what you need to know about an important issue, individual or story that is making news. Each one serves up an interesting selection of facts, opinions, images and videos in order to catch you up and vault you ahead.

WHAT TO KNOW

What happened? After suffering an electoral battering last month, former Vice President Joe Biden swept the South — plus Massachusetts, Minnesota and Maine — during yesterday's 14-state Super Tuesday contest, jolting his campaign back to life. The quest for the Democratic nomination is now effectively a two-man race after Sen. Bernie Sanders won California, the biggest prize of the day. Meanwhile, Sen. Elizabeth Warren finished third in her home state, and Mike Bloomberg's big spending only earned him one victory (American Samoa) before he dropped out Wednesday, endorsing Biden.

Why does it matter? The press and political junkies spend an inordinate amount of time dissecting campaign structures, innovative advertising tactics and fundraising. But free media can get you far. Still bruised from placing fourth in Iowa and fifth in New Hampshire, Biden relied on an overwhelming victory in South Carolina and several endorsements from campaign dropouts — which led to an avalanche of almost entirely positive media coverage. Now, OZY reports, Democrats are confronted with a communications clash as stark as it gets: Biden's personality against Sanders' revolutionary policy proposals.

HOW TO THINK ABOUT IT

Tuesday night lights. After spending more than $500 million on political ads, Bloomberg (pictured below) — who reportedly outspent Biden 100-to-1 in Super Tuesday states — learned the hard way that money can’t buy you love. And Uncle Joe reinforced that notion, leaning on South Carolina momentum, endorsements from dropouts Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and the universal name recognition of being Barack Obama’s vice president. The 77-year-old even won in states where he didn’t bother to campaign or set up much of an infrastructure. The free-media-based surge called to mind Donald Trump’s own in 2016, as the universally known real estate magnate didn’t spend as much on his campaign as his rivals but got $5 billion worth of free blanket media coverage, according to one estimate.

Come together. Besides beating Sanders at the ballot box, Biden also struck at the heart of the Vermont firebrand’s argument that he can attract youngsters and non-whites in droves. Not only did younger voters fail to show up big, but many of those who did backed Biden. Take Virginia: This year, 13 percent of voters were younger than 30, compared to 16 percent in 2016 — and Sanders won fewer of them on Tuesday than he did four years ago, according to exit polls. For all of Sanders’ bluster about launching a political revolution with the help of a fresh-faced electorate, he seemed to receive a startling rebuke.

Don’t count Bernie out. Still, Biden shouldn’t rest on his laurels. Seeking to beef up his delegate haul, which is projected to trail Biden’s once all of Tuesday’s votes have been counted, the 78-year-old could still enjoy a serious boost. Consider which states are up next on March 10: Washington, Idaho and North Dakota all went his way in 2016. Michigan (which he also won back then) will be hard-fought, but it might just swing toward him too. Then toss in supporters of Warren, who’s looking more likely by the minute to call it quits. Finally, Sanders can also take solace in the fact that Biden’s performance as a candidate has been uneven — and this roller coaster might have a few more bends ahead.

WHAT TO READ

The Biden Resurgence, by The Wall Street Journal
“The former Vice President will be back in the relentless media spotlight, and his vigor and acuity will be tested anew.”

Super Tuesday Guaranteed the Next President Will Be Very Old. But Experts Downplay the Risk, by Paige Winfield Cunningham at The Washington Post
“Biden has a 79 percent chance of surviving through a first term and a 70 percent chance of surviving through a second term, per the projections. Trump’s chance of surviving through a second term is 85 percent.”

WHAT TO WATCH

Protesters Rush Stage as Joe Biden Makes Super Tuesday Speech

“Make no mistake: This campaign will send Donald Trump packing.”

Super Tuesday Was a Good Day for Trump: RNC Spokeswoman

“I think what we’re seeing is you’ve got Democrats saying, ‘Who can we stomach?’”

WHAT TO SAY AT THE WATERCOOLER

Good for business. In addition to reviving a campaign once considered mortally wounded, Super Tuesday also seemed to boost another unlikely player: the stock market. On news of Biden’s success, the Dow Jones Industrial Average leaped more than 1,000 points Wednesday, suggesting that investors are more confident that a consensus-builder ends up facing Trump … and not the anti-Wall Street candidate, Sanders.