It was a remarkably Super Tuesday for Joe Biden. Three days earlier, he had never won a Democratic presidential primary. Now he has won at least nine. Forget the cognoscenti, who had long since canceled the Biden campaign. His national notes were also moving rapidly south. Then an amazing wave occurred. The magnitude of Biden’s South Carolina victory on Saturday answered a question that had baffled most Democrats for months: which candidate was the stronger alternative to Bernie Sanders? Within 48 hours, two of Mr. Biden’s three centrist rivals – Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar – gave up and approved him. The third, Michael Bloomberg, may well follow suit in the coming days. The question is whether Mr. Biden can maintain this momentum towards a clear victory for the Democratic nomination.
The promptness of Mr. Biden’s re-emergence as Lazarus should give pause. Although Mr. Sanders is no longer the favorite – a position he held for most of 2020 – he is almost shoulder to shoulder with Mr. Biden in the delegate count. Next week’s primary clutch includes Washington State, which he is poised to win, and Michigan, where he is likely to win. Furthermore, it is unclear to what extent a Bloomberg approval would help Mr. Biden. The former mayor of New York was the biggest loser of the night – and probably the most visible failure of contemporary American politics. Never before in the history of American politics has a candidate spent so much money on so few delegates. The only territory that Bloomberg gained after spending more than half a billion dollars was American Samoa, which is not even a state. A Bloomberg approval for Mr. Biden could even boost Mr. Sanders’ base for the long primaries to come.
But the weather has changed in the Democratic race. It is no coincidence that the sharp rise in Mr. Biden began on Wednesday when he was approved by Jim Clyburn, the deeply respected congressman from South Carolina. The former civil rights activist should be reminded that politics is a serious business – not a branch of the entertainment industry. American policy was changed by Donald Trump. The moving speech by Mr. Clyburn came just nine hours before Mr. Trump gave his first press conference on the coronavirus. After minimizing the threat of viral contagion, Trump then handed over the reins to Vice President Mike Pence. The coincidence of events must have helped Mr. Biden, who is based on experience. The discreet but tangible involvement of Barack Obama, who has so far kept his advice, also had to help. The former president is said to have persuaded Mr. Buttigieg to approve Mr. Biden soon after the South Carolina results.
What shall we do now? It is unclear whether Mr. Biden can win a majority – as opposed to a plurality – of delegates, thereby excluding a disputed convention in July. Mr. Sanders does not give up. Barely a week after his heart attack in October, he was back on an almost normal schedule. It could still turn out to be a Battle of the Somme style primary. But two things are clear. The first is that Mr. Trump and the large echo chamber that surrounds him will resume their target against Mr. Biden. Expect the names Hunter Biden and Burisma to hit the airwaves after a hiatus of about a month. Ukraine will be back on the news agenda. Rudy Giuliani will return to American television screens.
The second is that the new mantra of the Democratic Party is “decency”. Associated terms include “dignity” and “empathy”. Sanders helped pull the Democratic party to the left. Mr. Biden’s economic and climate platform is considerably to the left of the Obama administration he served. But the new slogan of the party is decency. Tuesday night’s winner was Mr. Biden. His losers were Elizabeth Warren, Mr. Bloomberg and most likely Mr. Trump.
