The Note: Did The Debate Change Everything (Or Not Much)?

— -- NOTABLES

--5 WAYS THE FIRST DEMOCRATIC DEBATE CHANGED THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL RACE. The stage may have been less crowded, but the stakes were just as high. The five candidates on stage Tuesday night for the first Democratic debate -- less than half of the 11 on stage for the most recent Republican debate -- had a lot to prove. Frontrunner Hillary Clinton reasserted herself as the dominant force in the race. Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders played to his base, but likely didn't do much to expand it. The other three -- Martin O'Malley, Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee -- likely didn't do anything to earn them a share of the spotlight, especially as speculation continued to swirl around the potential candidacy of Joe Biden. ABC's RYAN STRUYK takes a look at where we can expect the Democratic race to go from here. http://abcn.ws/1K9lyO2

-- BIDEN 'PROUD' OF HOW DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES PERFORMED: Vice President Joe Biden, still wrestling with a decision to enter the 2016 presidential race, said yesterday he was impressed with the performances of the Democratic candidates at last night's primary debate, ABC's ARLETTE SAENZ notes. "I thought they all did well," Biden said in response to questions from reporters following a White House event on infrastructure projects. Despite growing speculation over the past weeks that Biden would participate in the first debate, he stayed in Washington as the other contenders sparred on stage in Las Vegas. http://abcn.ws/1Lb0LgS

--WHAT IS JOE BIDEN DOING? This morning he will deliver opening remarks at a roundtable discussion for Domestic Violence Awareness Month and he hosts a lunch with South Korean President Park Geun-hye at the Naval Observatory.

--ANALYSIS -- ABC's RICK KLEIN: At a certain point, deciding not to decide is its own decision. The fact that Vice President Joe Biden wasn't on stage when Democrats saw their field assemble -- for what ended up being a well-received debate - spoke volumes to party regulars who were already frustrated that Biden has blown through his own self-imposed deadlines for declaring his intentions. More than a few Democrats who made the trip to Las Vegas made the point that, without questioning Biden's motives or the genuine nature of his internal conflicts, his indecision had the impact of signaling that he thought something was lacking in the 2016 choices. Then the debate happened, and few Democrats seem to share the sentiment that the field would earn an incomplete. Add to that the lack of an obvious Biden base, the far-behind campaign infrastructure, and the vice president's unimaginably complicated personal and family situation, and the prospects of a Biden candidacy slip further from reality. If the vice president's calculation was going to be based at all on Democrats' begging him to run, that has to come out of the equation now.

TODAY ON THE TRAIL with ABC's SHUSHANNAH WALSHE: Hillary Clinton is in Texas where she will hold a Q & A session with United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce this afternoon. She then speaks at a Latinos For Hillary event, also in San Antonio. Today she is also expected to receive the formal endorsement of Julian Castro. Marco Rubio is not in an early state, but the important general election state of Pennsylvania. He will speak at the Republican Committee of Chester County in King of Prussia. Jeb Bush, John Kasich, and George Pataki are all in New Hampshire. Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, and Bobby Jindal are all in Iowa. Chris Christie is fundraising this evening in Saint Louis. Jim Webb will participate in a conversation on foreign policy via livestream at the Council on Foreign Relations.

THE BUZZ

with ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI and PAOLA CHAVEZ

TRUMP CALLS BERNIE SANDERS 'MANIAC' AND 'SOCIALIST-SLASH-COMMUNIST.' Donald Trump has taken aim against a new Democratic rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, calling the lawmaker a "maniac" and "socialist slash communist." Trump made the remarks in Richmond, Virginia in front of a crowd of 5,000 the day after the Democrats met in Las Vegas for their first debate, ABC's JOHN SANTUCCI reports. "I watched Hillary last night -- 'we're gonna give this, we're gonna give that,'" he said. "The poor woman she's gotta give everything away because this maniac that was standing on her right was giving everything away so she's following! It's what's happening." http://abcn.ws/1LbswG6

NOTED: TRUMP PRAISES HILLARY CLINTON'S DEBATE PERFORMANCE. Trump expressed praise Wednesday for Hillary Clinton's debate performance Tuesday night, telling ABC News that the front-running Democratic candidate "did what she had to do." "She got through it fine," he said by phone yetserday morning. "It was a very kind debate, very gentle. She came out the winner." http://abcn.ws/1RHkxmF

HILLARY CLINTON DRAWS 2,500 TO LAS VEGAS RALLY. Hillary Clinton wrapped up her Las Vegas swing last night with a post-debate rally that drew a crowd of roughly 2,500, according to the campaign, ABC's LIZ KREUTZ notes. "Did we have a good debate last night?" Clinton asked the crowd at the outdoor Springs Preserve. "And, you know, one of the reasons it was good is because we were actually talking about what a President should be doing to make sure you have the support you need to make the most out of your lives. And I am thrilled that people finally got a chance to compare the Democrats to the Republicans, and I think we came out of that pretty well." Toward the end of her remarks, Clinton spoke about how the GOP won't work together -- and joked: "They don't even like their own speaker of the House. In the view of some, he's not 100% with them...I'm not 100% with anybody. My husband understands that!"

MUST WATCH -- BERNIE SANDERS DANCES ON ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW. Not to be outdone by Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders Wednesday became the latest presidential candidate to dance on "Ellen DeGeneres Show." The day after the first democratic presidential debate, Sanders taped an interview at her studio in Los Angeles and came out onstage bobbing his head and grooving to "Disco Inferno." "You're dancing Bernie. That's fantastic," DeGeneres said. During the commercial breaks, the 74-year-old Vermont senator continued to clap his hands to the music and seemed to be genuinely having a fun time on the bright set, according to ABC's MARYALICE PARKS. http://abcn.ws/1RJcKEX

TRUMP 'WOULD BE AMAZING FOR WOMEN IN THIS COUNTRY,' IVANKA SAYS. Donald Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka, said her father "would be amazing for women in this country" in a new interview. The GOP frontrunner has taken a lot of criticism on the campaign trail from his attacks on Fox News Anchor Megyn Kelly and GOP contender Carly Fiorina, saying she did not have "the face" to be President. Speaking with CNN, Ivanka defended her father, saying he has always worked hard to treat women equally, ABC's JOHN SANTUCCI notes. http://abcn.ws/1jBakMR

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

BEN CARSON PUTS PUBLIC CAMPAIGN EVENTS ON HOLD FOR TWO WEEKS. Republican presidential contender Dr. Ben Carson has put his public campaign events on hold for two more weeks to go on book tour for his new tome "A More Perfect Union" and catch up on fundraising events. The campaign has been careful to separate campaign events and the book tour, and doesn't want to classify the tour as related to the campaign in any way. This week he is catching up on fundraising events and will be back on his book tour next week making stops in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. ABC's KATHERINE FAULDERS has more. http://abcn.ws/1GdUBxq

WHO'S TWEETING?

@ByronYork: RCP: 'The rally showed mark of practiced political hand: George Gigicos, lead advance man in GWBush White House, is working now for Trump.'

@mattstrawn: "These aren't entry-level activists." GOP Candidates Vie for Homeschool Vote | Iowa Public Radio #iacaucus http://iowapublicradio.org/post/gop-candidates-vie-homeschool-vote#stream/0 ...

@thegarance: Good read from @AndrewRomano: Could Rubio's crossover message save the GOP? https://www.yahoo.com/politics/could-rubios-crossover-message-save-the-gop-113846600.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw ... via @YahooPolitics

@McCormickJohn: Rand Paul sets high goal for college caucus turnout, but can he reach it? http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2015/10/14/rand-paul-iowa-10000-caucus-turnout/73933368/ ... by @jasonnobleDMR

@alexis_levinson: Kasich has so far stayed out of the fray. But now he's looking for a fight - and the debate time that comes with it. http://www.nationalreview.com/article/425600/john-kasich-attacks-new-hampshire ...