Rahm Emanuel: “Let’s start with the basics. If you’re going to evict Donald Trump from the White House and secure the country’s future, you have to replicate what the last two Democratic presidents did so successfully on their campaigns. You need to unite all primary voters.”

“There’s a reason Trump gleefully tweeted ‘That’s the end of that race!’ during the first debate: Too often, you succumbed to chasing plaudits on Twitter, which closed the door on swing voters in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. If you win the nomination in a way that forecloses a path to victory in the general election, we will lose, and your name will go down in infamy.”

“This time, don’t fall into the traps that had many of us shaking our heads during the debates in Miami. Before our party promises health care coverage to undocumented immigrants — a position not even Ted Kennedy took — let’s help the more than 30 million Americans who are a single illness away from financial ruin. Before we start worrying about whether the Boston Marathon bomber can vote, let’s stop states that are actively trying to curtail voting rights of citizens. And before we promise a guaranteed minimum income to healthy adults who prefer to stay home and play video games, let’s increase the minimum wage and the Earned Income Tax Credit to benefit the millions of people who work hard and still live near poverty.”

New York Times: “As aides and allies watched Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s first debate performance last month, their initial optimism about his abilities turned to alarm as Senator Kamala Harris laced into him over race and busing.”

“It wasn’t just Mr. Biden’s halting answers that worried some of them. They thought he was showing his age — that, at 76, he appeared slow off the mark, uncertain about how to counterpunch as he allowed Ms. Harris to land clean hits without interruption.”

The Republican pathway for recapturing House control in next year’s election charges straight through the districts of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents, especially freshmen. Judging from early but formidable cash advantages those lawmakers have amassed, ousting them won’t be easy,” the AP reports.

“Each of the 62 freshmen House Democrats has raised more money than their top opponent. The same is true for all 31 Democrats from districts President Trump had won in 2016 and for all 39 Democrats who snatched Republican-held seats last November.”

“In nearly all cases it’s not even close.”

Washington Post: “Twenty candidates are sharpening memorable lines and crafting strategies for butting into the conversation as they prepare for a second round of Democratic presidential debates that are expected to be explosive, particularly over topics of race, inequality and criminal justice.”

CBS News:  How to watch the debates.

First Read: “The good news for Biden: His poll numbers have snapped back to where they were before the first debates.”

“The bad news: It’s unlikely he can afford another rough outing, which would only increase the chatter that he might not be up for the rigors of a general-election fight against President Trump. And if that happens, that could produce maybe the most destabilizing event so far in the 2020 Democratic race, creating openings for several other Dem contenders.”

“Remember, anyone can have a bad debate performance — just ask Barack Obama in 2012. But if you’re Joe Biden and a Democratic Party that’s anxious about its prospects versus Trump, you can’t have two in a row.”

Cornell professors Peter Enns and Jonathon Schuldt write in the Washington Post that their research finds the backlash from President Trump’s racist rhetoric is likely to offset any electoral benefit from Trump’s base.

“Not only did Democrats make major gains in the midterms when Trump doubled-down on his xenophobic rhetoric, the strategic focus on immigration in 2018 may have hurt Republicans. That Trump’s approval ratings are net negative despite a strong economy may also signal that his rhetoric isn’t working.”