The Third Democratic Debate

<p>Just 10 candidates qualified for the stage in Houston, but that didn’t change some recurring themes: Joe Biden was again the target of fierce scrutiny, and health care was a central point of contention. But what else did we learn?</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/alexander-burns" target="_blank">Alexander Burns</a>, who covers national politics for The New York Times.</p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/thedaily" target="_blank">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Background reading:</p><ul><li>Attacks on Mr. Biden highlighted the divide over the Obama legacy, with the former vice president <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/12/us/politics/democratic-presidential-debate-recap.html" target="_blank">repeatedly invoking his old boss’s name</a>.</li><li>Many Democrats hoped that defeating an unpopular, rampaging president would be relatively simple. But party officials are wary of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/12/us/politics/democratic-debate-candidates.html?searchResultPosition=1?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">some potential vulnerabilities that this debate re-emphasized</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/12/us/politics/september-democratic-debate-live.html" target="_blank">Here are six takeaways</a> from the contest.</li></ul>