Hello friends, hello friends and neighbors, and welcome back to the Bill Press

pod.

What a great debate.

Thursday night, September 12 in Houston, the third Democratic debate, 10 candidates on

stage facing the audience in this order, left to right.

Amy Klobuchar, Corey Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren,

Kamala Harris, Andrew Yang, Beto O'Rourke, and Julian Castro.

It was by far the liveliest, the most colorful, the most energetic, and the most

substantive of all the debates so far.

I was there in Houston in the debate hall, and afterwards I got immediate reaction from

several reporters and observers, including a couple of candidates in the spin room.

And we're talking here after the debate, first of all, with Jeff Weaver.

Jeff Weaver was the campaign manager for Bernie Sanders in 2016, still very much a part of the

2020 campaign as a special advisor. Jeff, it's good to see you.

Great to see you, Bill. How are you doing? I'm doing great. Thank you. How do you think Bernie did

tonight? I think it was great. Look, I think he really set him up. Good contrast with Joe Biden on a number

of important issues. Healthcare, obviously, for much of the beginning of the debate,

certainly contrasted himself with the vice president on the issue of the war in Iraq, I think,

on trade policy. They also had a good, you know, contrast. So I think it was a good opportunity

for Bernie to show why he's the candidate that folks should be supporting. Right. Is it, do you see the first challenge for Bernie

is Bernie Sanders versus Elizabeth Warren for the progressive lane, if you will? No, I don't think so, Bill,

because I think all the research has shown that, in fact, at this point, their bases are very different.

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