POLITICO Playbook: The battle for the soul of the Democratic Party – Politico

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DRIVING THE DAY

G’MORNING from MINNEAPOLIS and happy Super Tuesday.

“THIS ISN’T AN ELECTION to spend all our time in the battle for the soul of the Democratic Party,” JOE BIDEN said Monday in HOUSTON. “We’re in the battle for the soul of this country.” It’s one of his usual lines, but it’s now wrong. FOR THIS is exactly what this race has become: an existential battle between two competing forces in the Democratic Party.

AND IN THAT, BIDEN and BERNIE SANDERS now both have the race they wanted.

BIDEN is consolidating establishment Democratic support with speed and precision as he makes the case that he — and only he — can steer the party through an election with President DONALD TRUMP atop the ballot. He’s rounding up prominent supporters — like PETE BUTTIGIEG, AMY KLOBUCHAR and BETO O’ROURKE in Dallas on Monday night — and finally beginning to raise the millions he needs to continue deep into March and April. BIDEN is so eager for unity that he told a local reporter in Houston on Monday that he would ask BUTTIGIEG to be in his administration.

SANDERS, on the other hand, seems to relish the fight as Democratic potentates line up against him. As the party poobahs pooh-pooh his candidacy, he’s packing public parks, large event spaces and, here in the Twin Cities on Monday night, an auditorium with more than 8,000, where he managed to both whack the establishment and court establishment Democratic support. He invited KLOBUCHAR’S and BUTTIGIEG’S supporters to side with him, while saying the establishment was nervous, and out to get him. This is Bernie’s sweet spot: Rail against the establishment, and use that to rally his base.

HERE’S SANDERS’ UNITY PLEA: “All of the Democratic candidates — and Amy and Pete, everybody who has run — we all share the understanding that together we are going to beat Donald Trump. But let us be clear, there are obvious differences of opinion, that’s true. But all of us understand that our differences of opinion pale in comparison to the differences that we have with Trump.”

… AND THEN, RIGHT INTO THE ESTABLISHMENT BROADSIDE: “Now, as you all know, you can’t miss it. If you turn on the TV, the establishment in this country, the economic establishment and the political establishment, are becoming very nervous.”

BERNIE ended his stump speech with this: “With great joy together, we will defeat Donald Trump.”

THIS PRIMARY IS GOING TO GO CLEAR through the month of March. It will take time for California to post full results, and the next two Tuesdays have critical primaries for both candidates. March 10 has Michigan, where SANDERS is hoping to do well, and Mississippi and Missouri, where BIDEN thinks he has a good chance.

ARIZONA — where SANDERS heads Thursday — votes March 17, as does Florida. There, the central question will be: When does MIKE BLOOMBERG get out, and does he throw his weight behind BIDEN? BLOOMBERG has about 25% of the vote in Florida, and his endorsement could bolster BIDEN, who leads in some polling we’ve seen.

OF COURSE, THOUGH, a big night tonight could put SANDERS on the precipice of the nomination. BIDEN will be in California today, with stops in Oakland and an election night event in Los Angeles. SANDERS will be in Burlington, Vt. ELIZABETH WARREN will vote in Massachusetts this morning. BLOOMBERG is in Florida, and will spend election night in Palm Beach.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN is feeling so good about its status in the race that it’s starting a $1.5 million television campaign in Michigan, Missouri and Mississippi today. All three states vote March 10. They’ll run this ad — entitled “Service” — which has former President BARACK OBAMA heaping praise on BIDEN. The spots will run in the following TV markets: Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids and Lansing in Michigan; St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, Columbia, Quincy and Paducah in Missouri; and Jackson, Greenwood, Columbus/Tupelo, Meridian and Hattiesburg, in Mississippi.

THE CAMPAIGN is also launching a slate of GOTV ads and mail, one aimed at black voters.

Good Tuesday morning. TRUMP will sit down for an interview with SEAN HANNITY at 9 p.m. on Fox News.

HAPPENING TODAY — “How to watch Super Tuesday like a pro”: CHARLIE MAHTESIAN & the gang break down what to expect in each state today … Live highlights and updates

BIG PICTURE … NYT, A1: JONATHAN MARTIN and ALEX BURNS: “How the Democratic Establishment Stumbled as Sanders Surged”

MARC CAPUTO: “‘Rocket fuel’: How black voters could deliver a Super Tuesday windfall to Biden”

IN THE SUPER TUESDAY STATES: CHRIS CADELAGO and HOLLY OTTERBEIN in San Jose, Calif.: “Inside Bernie’s ‘secret strategy’ to win huge in California” … LAURA BARRÓN-LÓPEZ and MARC CAPUTO: “Biden campaign predicts Texas upset over Sanders”

OUCH … NYT’S SHANE GOLDMACHER on WARREN: “Now, as voters head to the polls on Super Tuesday, Ms. Warren’s campaign has all but admitted her pathway to winning the Democratic nomination outright has vanished. She enters March seeking to accumulate delegates for a potential contested convention and is most realistically hunting for them in more educated enclaves, like Seattle and Denver, where she recently held rallies and is investing heavily in advertising.

“In many ways, the arc of the Warren candidacy is the story of her cornering an upscale demographic early, only to become confined to it, and then lose her grip on it.” NYT

#BEBEST … NYT’S MAGGIE HABERMAN in Charlotte and PETER BAKER: “Trump Targets Biden Again as Democratic Race Hits Critical Stage”: “He gleefully repeated recent misstatements by Mr. Biden, including his confusion over names and states, his statement that he was a candidate for the Senate, his reference to Tuesday’s primaries as ‘Super Thursday’ and his head-spinning comment that 150 million Americans have been killed by guns since 2007.

“‘That means 50 percent of our country!’ Mr. Trump said of the gun comment. ‘That’s a big story!’ ‘Sleepy Joe,’ Mr. Trump continued, ‘he doesn’t even know where he is or what he’s doing or what office he’s running for. Honestly, I don’t think he knows what office he’s running for.’

“If Mr. Biden won the presidency, Mr. Trump said, his staff would actually do the governing. ‘They’re going to put him into a home, and other people are going to be running the country,’ the president said, ‘and they’re going to be super-left, radical crazies. And Joe’s going to be in a home and he’ll be watching television.’” NYT

WAPO’S HOLLY BAILEY in Memphis: “Ahead of Super Tuesday, many black voters wonder whether Biden can go the distance”: “The ability to mobilize black voters across the South has long been considered the foundation of Biden’s third bid for the presidency — an advantage that he has argued would add to his ability to assemble a diverse coalition to take on Trump in November.

“But even after South Carolina, there are signs that his support among black voters is not a sure thing — especially this Tuesday, when Democrats across 14 states and one territory will cast their ballots in what will be the biggest and most important day of the nomination race so far and one that is likely to be a test for whether Biden has resurrected his candidacy. …

“Memphis is the seat of Shelby County, the state’s most-populous county with about 940,000 people, more than half of them African American. In Memphis proper, about two-thirds of the population is black, and on the eve of Super Tuesday, many in the community remained divided over Biden’s candidacy, viewing him as a beloved party figure but questioning his ability to win.”

KNOWING TONY FAUCI — “‘You don’t want to go to war with a president,’” by Sarah Owermohle: “Anthony Fauci might be the one person everyone in Washington trusts right now. But at 79, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is in the thick of one of the biggest battles of 35 years in the role: The race to contain coronavirus when the nation is deeply polarized and misinformation can spread with one tweet — sometimes, from the president himself.

“‘You should never destroy your own credibility. And you don’t want to go to war with a president,’ Fauci, who has been the country’s top infectious diseases expert through a dozen outbreaks and six presidents, told POLITICO in an interview Friday. ‘But you got to walk the fine balance of making sure you continue to tell the truth.’

“And the truth about coronavirus? ‘I don’t think that we are going to get out of this completely unscathed,’ he said. ‘I think that this is going to be one of those things we look back on and say boy, that was bad.’” POLITICO

CORONAVIRUS LATEST — “Virus alarms sound worldwide, but China sees crisis ebbing,” by AP’s Ken Moritsugu and Matt Sedensky in Beijing: “Iranians hoarded medical supplies, Italians urged doctors out of retirement and South Koreans prepared to pump billions into relief efforts Tuesday as the virus epidemic firmed its hold around the globe.

“Mushrooming outbreaks in the Mideast, Europe and South Korea contrasted with optimism in China, where thousands of recovered patients were going home. A growing outbreak in the United States led schools and subways to sanitize, quickened a search for a vaccine, and spread fears of vulnerability for nursing home residents.

“‘We have moved to a new stage in the fight,’ said Dow Constantine, the political leader in King County, Washington, which is home to Seattle. All six U.S. fatalities from COVID-19 have been in Washington state and Constantine said his county is buying a hotel to become a hospital for isolated patients.

“World Health Organization leader Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said outbreaks in South Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan were the agency’s greatest concern. He said the virus was uniquely capable of community transmission but could be contained with the right measures. ‘We are in unchartered territory,’ Tedros said.” AP

— “Major airlines, U.S. officials clash over passenger tracking related to coronavirus cases,” by WaPo’s Jeff Stein, Lena Sun and Lori Aratani

— ICYMI … DAN DIAMOND and ADAM CANCRYN: “Azar in the crosshairs for delays in virus tests” … Watch Lou Dobbs take Azar to the woodshed

SARAH FERRIS and CAITLIN EMMA: “Hill leaders close to striking emergency coronavirus funding deal”: “Negotiators for Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell say they expect to unveil the bipartisan package — which is expected to be between $7 billion and $8 billion — as soon as Tuesday, according to people familiar with the process. The legislation is intended to shore up U.S. public health preparedness, with six deaths reported in Washington State and the number of people infected in the U.S. now exceeding 100. …

“Negotiators are still haggling over several key details, including language that would make sure vaccines are affordable for all populations, according to people familiar with the talks. The bill is also likely to include a requirement that the Trump administration replace $136 million that it’s shifting from various health accounts in order to pad out its response to the outbreak.”

MARKETWATCH — “Global Stocks Claw Back More Ground,” by WSJ’s Xie Yu and Anna Isaac

TRUMP’S TUESDAY — The president will leave the White House en route to the Washington Hilton at 10:45 a.m., where he’ll speak at the National Association of Counties legislative conference at 11 a.m. Afterward, he’ll return to the White House, then depart at 2 p.m. for the National Institutes of Health’s vaccine research center in Bethesda, Md. At NIH, he’ll participate in a roundtable briefing at 2:30 p.m., followed by a tour of the viral pathogenesis laboratory at 3:15 p.m. He’s scheduled to be back at the White House by 4 p.m.

MEMBERS of the coronavirus task force will hold a press briefing at 5:30 p.m. in the James S. Brady briefing room.

PLAYBOOK READS

WAR REPORT — “Secret documents on Trump Afghanistan peace deal shared with Congress,” by John Bresnahan: “The Trump administration is making available to Congress two secret documents related to the United States’ peace agreement with the Taliban, part of the White House’s effort to build support for ending the longest military conflict in American history.

“Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has reached out to senior lawmakers on the House and Senate panels that oversee foreign relations to discuss the accord – signed by the U.S. officials and the Taliban in Doha on Saturday – and inform them that the administration will share the ‘military implementation documents’ as early as Tuesday.

“‘I think we’re taking a big chance, but I think it’s something we have to explore because this war is never-ending, and I don’t really want us to go into perpetual war,’ said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), who spoke to Pompeo on Friday. ‘Like everything else, there are mixed feelings. You don’t want our enemies to feel like they drove us out. On the other hand, you don’t want to never leave. I’m glad we’re working on it at least.’” POLITICO

ANOTHER ONE — “White House withdraws nomination of Defense official who questioned Ukraine aid freeze,” by Connor O’Brien

WELCOME BACK, JOE! — “Ron Johnson threatens subpoena over Hunter Biden’s Ukraine work,” by Andrew Desiderio: “A key senator is threatening to issue a subpoena for records related to former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter and his work for a Ukrainian energy firm — the most significant escalation yet in an investigation that has divided Senate Republicans.

“In a letter obtained by POLITICO, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told members of the panel that he will soon schedule a business meeting to vote on a subpoena for the documents, which are purportedly related to Hunter Biden’s role on the board of the Ukrainian firm, Burisma.

“The subpoena seeks records from Blue Star, a Democratic public affairs firm. In his letter to committee members, Johnson cited government documents indicating that the firm ‘sought to leverage Hunter Biden’s role as a board member of Burisma to gain access to, and potentially influence matters at, the State Department.’” POLITICO

ISRAELI ELECTION LATEST … HAARETZ: “Netanyahu Two Seats Away From Majority With 90 Percent of Votes Counted”

VALLEY TALK — “Tim Cook and Apple Bet Everything on China. Then Coronavirus Hit,” by WSJ’s Tripp Mickle and Yoko Kubota: “Long before the coronavirus struck, Apple Inc.’s operations team began raising concerns about the technology giant’s dependency on China.

“Some operations executives suggested as early as 2015 that the company relocate assembly of at least one product to Vietnam. That would allow Apple to begin the multiyear process of training workers and creating a new cluster of component providers outside the world’s most populous nation, people familiar with the discussions said.

“Senior managers rebuffed the idea. For Apple, weaning itself off China, its second-largest consumer market and the place where most of its products are assembled, has been too challenging to undertake.” WSJ

MEDIAWATCH — “Chris Matthews Out at MSNBC,” by NYT’s Michael Grynbaum: “Chris Matthews, the veteran political anchor and voluble host of the long-running MSNBC talk show ‘Hardball,’ resigned on Monday night, an abrupt departure from a television perch that made him a fixture of politics and the news media over the past quarter-century.

“Mr. Matthews, 74, had faced mounting criticism in recent days over a spate of embarrassing on-air moments, including a comparison of Senator Bernie Sanders’s campaign to the Nazi invasion of France and an interview with Senator Elizabeth Warren in which the anchor was criticized for a condescending and disbelieving tone.” NYT … NBC headline, w/ video: “Chris Matthews announces retirement, mutually parts ways with MSNBC”

— WATCH THE HOMETOWN CROWD … The L.A. TIMES is airing a live, three-hour online broadcast called “California Decides,” from 8-11 p.m. Pacific time tonight. Eli Stokols is anchoring from the L.A. studio.

PLAYBOOKERS

Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com.

TRANSITIONS — Kate Meissner is now an SVP of new business at Edelman. She previously was SVP of operations and business development at ICX Media. … Andy Eichar is now press secretary for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). He previously was press secretary for the late Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.). …

… Daniel Barash, James Conway and Julia Sherman have joined SKDKnickerbocker. Barash is VP of the political division and previously was campaign manager for Sen. Michael Bennet’s (D-Colo.) presidential campaign. Conway is now a senior associate and previously was campaign manager for Virginia state Sen. Joshua Cole. Sherman is now a political writer and previously worked on Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-N.J.) presidential campaign in Iowa.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: George Little, partner at the Brunswick Group. A trend he thinks doesn’t get enough attention: “We are likely to see growing tensions in the coming years over resources in the Arctic region. America is an Arctic power and it is unclear that we are prepared for such tensions.” Playbook Q&A

BIRTHDAYS: Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), NRCC chairman, is 59 … DCCC COS Alex Smith … Jesse Hunt, communications director at NRSC … Dan Conston is 3-5 … Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) is 36 … Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) is 58 … Rep. Paul Cook (R-Calif.) is 77 … Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) is 39 … Marc Short is 5-0 … CBS News president Susan Zirinsky … Tim Morrison … Andrew Olmem, deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the National Economic Council … NYT’s Elaina Plott … Alexa Henning, WH director of broadcast booking (h/t Judd Deere) … Ron Chernow is 71 … Peter Mirijanian, president of Peter Mirijanian Public Affairs, is 57 … Tedros Adhanom, director-general of the World Health Organization … John Roscoe … Steve Smith, associate director of the WH Office of American Innovation … POLITICO’s Lily Mihalik, Mark McQuillan and Cecilie Combs … Allie Carroll, RNC assistant press secretary (h/ts Maddison Stone and Cassie Smedile) … Carlton Carroll, VP of communications at the Climate Leadership Council … Freddi Goldstein …

… Ira Glass, host and producer of “This American Life,” is 61 … Cameron French, VP of public affairs at SKDKnickerbocker … Michael Remez, editorial officer at the Pew Charitable Trusts … Marathon Communications founder Richard Lichtenstein (h/ts Jon Haber) … Spencer Hurwitz (h/t Sarah Mills) … Hadar Arazi, Rep. Josh Gottheimer’s (D-N.J.) director of scheduling and operations (h/t James Adams) … Ben Goldstein … Luxembourg PM Xavier Bettel is 47 … Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga is 57 … Katie Marshall … Caitlin Gallagher, director of media and communications at the Federation of American Hospitals … David Yassky is 56 … Tyler Ann McGuffee … Carly Walsh … David Steinhardt is 51 … Amanda Crane … Adam Sachs … Jason Gerson … Patrick Gavin … Scott Pollard … Hannah Blatt … Ghada Alkiek … Jason Dick, deputy editor at Roll Call … Lauren Shay Lavin … Tariq Khan … Kristin Lawton … Charles Cote … Anne Gordon … Jasen Castillo … Geneva Overholser … Edward Lewine … Janeen Lawlor … David Pringle … Carolyn Stanford Taylor … Mike Yelovich

Anna Palmer @apalmerdc
Jake Sherman @JakeSherman

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Anna Palmer is a senior Washington correspondent for POLITICO and co-author of POLITICO’s Playbook, the most indispensable morning newsletter for the biggest influencers in politics. Anna covers the world of Congress and politics, and has successfully chronicled the business of Washington insiders for years. Her stories take readers behind the scenes for the biggest fights in Washington as well as the 2016 election.

She is also the co-author of New York Times and national best seller, “The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trump’s America,” which was published by Crown in 2019.

In addition to Playbook, Anna is also editorial director of Women Rule, a POLITICO platform that is dedicated to expanding leadership opportunities for women at all stages of their career.

Prior to becoming POLITICO’s senior Washington correspondent, she was the co-author of the daily newsletter, POLITICO Influence, considered a must-read on K Street. Anna previously covered House leadership and lobbying as a staff writer for Roll Call. She got her start in Washington journalism as a lobbying business reporter for the industry newsletter Influence. She has also worked at Legal Times, where she covered the intersection of money and politics for the legal and lobbying industry, first as a staff writer and then as an editor.

A native of North Dakota, Anna is a graduate of St. Olaf College, where she was executive editor of the weekly campus newspaper, the Manitou Messenger. She lives in Washington, D.C.

SUBSCRIBE to Politico Playbook: http://politi.co/2lQswbh

Jake Sherman is a senior writer for POLITICO and co-author of POLITICO’s Playbook, the nation’s leading political newsletter. He is also the co-author of New York Times and national best seller, “The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trump’s America,” which was published by Crown in 2019. Jake is an NBC and MSNBC political contributor.

Since 2009, Jake has chronicled all of the major legislative battles on Capitol Hill, and has also traveled the country to cover the battle for control of Congress.

Jake is a Connecticut native, and a graduate of The George Washington University — where he edited The GW Hatchet — and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Jake lives in Washington with his wife Irene, son and daughter, and listens to an unhealthy amount of Grateful Dead and Phish.

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