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That’s it for the fifth Democratic debate. Here’s what you missed.

Jewel Samad/Getty Images


Jeet Heer says Bill Clinton haunted the debate.

Elizabeth Bruenig argues that Hillary Clinton wants you to believe she’s tough on Wall Street, even when she’s not.

Bernie Sanders can probably do a better job selling his foreign policy, writes Steven Cohen.

And he stole Clinton’s line about Flint, Michigan, Jamil Smith observes.

No one says “no” quite like Hillary, Laure Reston writes.

The Koch brothers made a record appearance in the Democratic debate, Rebecca Leber says.

Both Sanders and Clinton will let an Iowa recount happen, if they must, writes Emma Foehringer Merchant.

Alex Shephard notes that Clinton is still running on her old tagline, “Who do you want to answer the phone at 3 a.m.?” 

Elspeth Reeve admires MSNBC’s use of a split screen.

Shephard says Clinton still hasn’t figured out how to answer questions about her Wall Street connections.

Reeve wonders why men can’t stop themselves from calling Clinton shrill.

Leber misses Martin O’Malley.

Gwyneth Kelly notes that Clinton made an interesting argument for why she’s not the establishment candidate.

Clinton also called the Sanders campaign’s attacks on her Wall Street ties an “artful smear,” Foehringer Merchant writes.

And both candidates spent an inordinate amount of time discussing the etymology of the word “progressive,” Shephard says.