Remaining candidates former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) took the Democratic primary debate stage Thursday night to talk about the issues that plague the United States and the country’s presence on foreign soil.

The debate was broadcasted on PBS and was moderated by PBS Newshour co-hosts, Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Milwaukee, WI. The first presidential debate moderated by only women showed the progressive nature of the candidates on stage, and their remarks proved to continue the trend.

Here are the four most memorable quotes from the sixth Democratic debate.

Hillary Clinton on the presidential election: “But it is absolutely fair and necessary for Americans to vet both of our proposals, to ask the really hard questions about, what is it we think we can accomplish, why do we believe that, and what would be the results for the average American family?”

I appreciated Clinton reminding us why we should care about the election. All of the candidates have ideas about what they think is best for America. Meanwhile, Sanders and Clinton in particular hope for similar outcomes through means that are distinct enough to define their candidacies.

However, it is truly up to the public, to the people, to decide how these policies will be perceived, if they will work for us and what can be changed or added to make them better. We live in a democracy, governed by and for the people. These candidates want to hear what we think and they value these opinions – and votes.

Bernie Sanders on Henry Kissinger, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Winston Churchill: “I am proud to say that Henry Kissinger is not my friend and I will not take advice from Henry Kissinger.”

This moment was an important rhetorical choice for Sanders, considering he already has the youth vote Clinton had been vying for in New Hampshire and has a majority of women on his side.

Tonight, however, he shifted the focus from his loyal following to a demographic that Clinton led by 24 points in January 2016: senior citizens. The moment that Sanders brought up mid-20th century politics, he was targeting the 65 and older group that would resonate with him and form their own opinion on his views based on how they lived through the times of former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger.

The millennials so adamant about Sanders only know Kissinger, Roosevelt and Churchill from their history textbooks rather than from life. Sanders is working hard to show the senior demographic that he is in their shoes too, and acknowledges the past to bring back the old greats, such as Roosevelt and Churchill, and to leave the dark past he experienced with Kissinger behind.

Hillary Clinton on the women’s vote controversy: “I have spent my entire adult life working toward making sure that women are empowered to make their own choices, even if that choice is not to vote for me.”

For Clinton, this debate was all about letting the young voter demographic she lacks know that she cares about them and the issues they are concerned about.

Tonight was also her most public forum to confront the contested remarks from Madeleine Albright, first female Secretary of State under her husband, former president Bill Clinton, and Gloria Steinem, women’s rights activist and founder of Ms. Magazine, targeting women on Sanders’ side when the pair endorsed Clinton earlier this week.

Tonight, Clinton made clear it does not matter who is supporting her, but rather that everyone needs to educate themselves on the platforms of their preferred candidate.

Clinton, Albright and Steinem have all made huge strides toward gender equality, and for women to be able to confidently decide not to vote for a woman –  just because there is a female candidate advocating for women’s rights – is something that Clinton prides herself on in her campaign.

Bernie Sanders on the positive value of expanding federal government: “The government of a democratic society has a moral responsibility to play a vital role in making sure that all of our people have a decent standard of living.”

Sanders summed up the sentiment of both candidates with this remark, as he and Clinton spoke about expanding the presence of the federal government in U.S. life and society. The issues that the Democratic candidates are tackling – including education, mass incarceration, job opportunity, campaign finance, corruption, immigration and foreign relations – all would require the federal government help to make change.

It’s hard to say that local and state governments do not play a significant role in addressing these issues, but it seems that both candidates know that their power on the federal level can create the kind of large-scale change that these issues require. Essentially, the two candidates are trying to break down what they see is wrong and to create systemic change to ensure a new culture surrounding these hot-button topics.

This being said, they need to be careful not to overestimate their power and with what they promise can happen once they are elected. However, both Sanders and Clinton seem to have their heads in the place where any liberal should: move the country forward, in the direction of progress.

Conclusion

This debate was substantive with discussion of important issues and demonstrated where the candidates are trying to deviate from what they have done in the past to gain voters and solidify their platforms.

The citizens of the United States should listen to these candidates as people who genuinely care about all groups, especially those that are marginalized. As voting in the primary begins, the consequences for what occurs in these 2-hour faceoffs will begin to set in. And while these are just the warmups, by the end, the victor will have put up a hard fight they can be proud of.

Joanna Orland is a freshman newspaper and online journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at jorland@syr.edu.

Published on February 12, 2016 at 1:06 am