Liveblog: The Sixth Democratic Debate:  ‘Let Us Level With the American People’

Senator Bernie Sanders kicked off Thursday’s Democratic debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a few familiar lines from his campaign-trail greatest hits before getting down to business with a series of fiery salvos targeting his rival Hillary Clinton. She was ready for him.

Shortly into the first round of questions, it was clear that both candidates were prepared to go toe-to-toe and had shown up with a strategy for this debate, moderated by Judy Woodruff and Gwen Ifill, aware that the stakes were much higher this time around and the need greater to make sharp distinctions in their profiles.

Sanders started strong; following familiar refrains about the nation’s “rigged economy” and how his fellow Americans should “not let the Trumps of the world divide us,” he shifted modes from earlier debates, when he had expressed support for Clinton, and struck out on his own. “Let us level with the American people,” Sanders said, before describing his proposals for boosting the health care system and energizing the economy, starting with a Medicare proposal he said would save the average middle-class family $5,000 per year. Sanders also claimed he had a plan to create 13 million jobs “at a cost of a trillion dollars.” 

A composed Clinton took several opportunities to regain footing after her defeat in the New Hampshire primary and botched endorsements from elder feminist stateswomen Madeleine Albright and Gloria Steinem. She also positioned herself as one opposed to oversized government and able to sing Sanders’ tune about the growing gap between Main Street and Wall Street. “I know a lot of Americans are angry about the economy, and for good cause,” Clinton said. “Americans haven’t had a raise in 15 years,” she added, entering somewhat dangerous territory given the ongoing investigations into her speaking fees.

She was eager to associate herself with President Obama’s biggest win—Obamacare, which she said was originally known as “Hillarycare,” taking credit for starting legislative wheels turning for health care reform during the 1990s—and to assure women voters that the idea of “choice” also extends to their voting preferences, “even if that choice is not to vote for me.”

Clinton also framed Sanders’ proposals as financially unrealistic, saying, “We should not make promises we can’t keep,” because “that would further alienate Americans.” Putting a $1 billion-a-year price tag on her own economic scheme, she claimed, “I will not throw us further into debt … Once I’m in the White House, I believe we will have enough political capital to be able to do that.”

There was the opening, and Sanders took it: “Well, Secretary Clinton, you’re not in the White House yet,” he said.

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