South Carolina, Nevada polls: Clinton ahead

NPR’s Mara Liasson sets up the showdown, and explains how the field is preparing for Biden’s decision days before the event. It’s one of the only presidential forums where we will see both Republicans and Democratic candidates together.

O’Malley’s comments are arguably the harshest words uttered between candidates on the Democratic side. Over the spring and summer, many candidates – like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Ohio Gov. John Kasich – once sat atop the polls in their home states. Tuesday night, moreover, may wind up being about someone who isn’t even on the stage.

MARA LIASSON, BYLINE: Hi, Michel.

Sanders, Clinton’s closest challenger, also argued that he has never liked a single USA trade deal, while Clinton last week opposed President Obama’s Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, which she backed as the country’s top diplomat.

At the first Democratic primary debate, voters will have a chance to hear from all five of the major Democratic candidates minus Joe Biden, who has yet to announce whether or not he will seek the nomination.

He would be unlikely to go on to deny her the nomination ultimately because he is too far to the left for most Democrats but in the meantime he could dent her standing, weaken her resolve and deplete her funds, making it a much tougher general election battle for her against the Republican nominee.

As three of the candidates (O’Malley, Webb, and Chafee) hardly surpass 3 percent in national polls combined, all eyes will be on frontrunner Hillary Clinton and increasingly popular Bernie Sanders.

“The debate criteria worked well for politicians and billionaires”, he said in an interview with CBS News.

“Every candidate on that stage aught to walk in there with the presumption that Biden is not a candidate”, said Carrick.

@maggieNYT: SCOOP: Tulsi Gabbard says she was disinvited by DWS aides to Vegas debate day after she called fr more debates on TV http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/10/12/d-n-c-officer-says-she-was-disinvited-from-debate-after-calling-for-more-of-them/ … “She thought the nomination was hers for the asking, but her mounting problems have been getting to her and she’s become shrill and, at times, even violent”. A new Quinnipiac poll shows she may have a lot more work to do in that department. This is a big opportunity for her to show off her command of policy and to try to do with a big national audience what she’s been trying to do in smaller campaign events, which is make a connection with Democratic voters. Sanders, the self-styled democratic socialist from Vermont, has made this, the power of money in our politics and abuses on Wall Street, the centerpiece of his campaign.

“She got herself in a position where if she were to win the New Hampshire primary, that would look like upset”, Miringoff said. It’s also a chance for him to make a few comparisons with Hillary Clinton.

“We’ll go to the Democratic clubs and see a Hillary person will get up – they’re all very nice people, but it’s like they memorized a speech”, said Tazo Schafer, 67, a retired academic who is volunteering for Sanders, his first involvement in presidential politics since Eugene McCarthy’s campaign. “First of all, Hillary Clinton, the great tolerant one with rainbow Twitter avatars granting open-mindedness to any family formation under the sun, seems a bit more traditional in private than she does in public”, Palin wrote.

“Hillary Clinton’s growing scandals and the multiple investigations into the potential mishandling of classified info is a mess of her own creation”.

“His message has to be about: Democrats need to vote for what they think is right and let the chips fall where they may”, Miringoff said.

MARTIN: And why won’t Bernie Sanders?