--- title: Morning Must Reads: February 12 description: Morning Must Reads: February 12 canonical: https://time.com/4218727/heres-the-real-winner-of-the-democratic-debate/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-12T15:24:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:41:10.064Z article:section: Politics og:title: Morning Must Reads: February 12 og:description: Morning Must Reads: February 12 og:url: https://time.com/4218727/heres-the-real-winner-of-the-democratic-debate/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Morning Must Reads og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Morning Must Reads: February 12 twitter:description: Morning Must Reads: February 12 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's the Real Winner of the Democratic Debate > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=2929a93c-6a53-47d2-b97e-4dcfdaeaed52&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch the Democratic Debate in Under 4 Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): Watch the Democratic Debate in Under 4 Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/T29Nf2PQ.m3u8) (3:41)  _Published 2016-02-12. Watch the Democratic Debate in Under 4 Minutes_ by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Feb 12, 2016 3:24 PM UTC by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Feb 12, 2016 3:24 PM UTC The contentious Democratic race took center-stage Thursday as **Bernie Sanders** and **Hillary Clinton** squared off in Milwaukee. As Clinton criticized and Sanders snarked, the candidates debated the proper size of government, what to do about those in the U.S. illegally, President Obama’s legacy, and—most bizarrely—Henry Kissinger’s career. The contest highlighted the deep divide between the two candidates on issues from health care to college costs, as well as their disparate approaches to campaigning. Sanders offered a vision of what he dreams the country would be, while Clinton argued for pragmatic change. The debate was unlikely to sway many minds though, as each delivered an appeal designed to resonate with their existing supporters. **Ted Cruz**‘s campaign pulled a new ad critical of **Marco Rubio** from television because one of the actresses involved had a history making pornographic films. Rubio, meanwhile, is going on offense against his rivals as he seeks to reinvigorate his campaign after a disappointing finish in New Hampshire. As the race turns to South Carolina, candidates and campaigns are warning of and accusing their rivals of “dirty tricks,” as the state’s legacy of bitter campaigning collides with this presidential cycle’s existing nastiness. The husband of a victim of last year’s Charleston shooting appears in a [new ad](http://youtu.be/vgG7vk6gKps) released by the Clinton campaign touting her commitment to gun control. **Donald Trump** held a fundraiser for veterans groups when he skipped the Des Moines presidential debate, but some of the groups are still waiting for their checks. And what **President Obama** makes of the 2016 cycle. Here are your must-reads: **Must Reads** [Sanders Snarks as Democratic Debate Gets Heated ](http://time.com/4218921/democratic-debate-bernie-sanders-snark-criticism/)Clinton challenged, Sanders dismissed, TIME’s Michael Scherer writes [The Real Winner of the Democratic Debate: President Obama ](http://time.com/4218909/democratic-debate-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-barack-obama-milwaukee/)TIME’s Sam Frizell on how heated exchanges over Obama’s legacy reflect how he has become a specter in the Democratic primary contest [‘You Didn’t Hear This From Me, But. . .’: ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/you-didnt-hear-this-from-me-but-why-south-carolina-primary-politics-are-so-dirty/2016/02/11/09fa4a28-d0c7-11e5-b2bc-988409ee911b%5Fstory.html?postshare=8561455217773067&tid=ss%5Ftw)Why South Carolina primary politics are so dirty \[Washington Post\] [The $6.8 Trillion Question in Rubio’s Tax Plan ](http://time.com/4218216/marco-rubio-tax-plan-budget-spending-cuts/)Rubio’s tax plan math has a big gap in it, TIME’s Haley Sweetland Edwards writes [Veterans’ Wait After Trump Fundraiser Shows Hurdles for Campaign ](http://www.wsj.com/articles/veterans-wait-after-trump-fundraiser-shows-hurdles-for-campaign-1455239053)Majority of nonprofits reached said they hadn’t heard from Trump foundation for weeks \[Wall Street Journal\] [Bruised Marco Rubio Gets Personal and Aggressive ](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/12/us/politics/bruised-marco-rubio-gets-personal-and-aggressive.html?em%5Fpos=small&emc=edit%5Fcn%5F20160212&nl=first-draft&nl%5Fart=2&nlid=55003713&ref=headline&te=1&%5Fr=0)Seeking redemption in South Carolina, Rubio goes on the offensive as he opens up to reporters \[New York Times\] **Sound Off** “No one thinks that working in a factory is the greatest job in the world.” — Bernie Sanders in a line he will surely regret, either later in the Democratic primaries or in a general election “That disquiet, that concern is expressing itself in the Republican Party as well as the Democratic Party, and we need to listen to that, and we have to pay attention, and be mindful, because when people are scared, then strange things can happen in politics. When people are nervous and feel threatened, we can get a politics that is not about bringing people together, but is about us and them.” — President Obama at a high-dollar fundraiser in California on the state of the Democratic presidential race. Obama added at the event, which raised as much as $33,400 from attendees for the Democratic National Committee, that “big money and unaccountable, undisclosed money is distorting our politics in ways that are going to be damaging over the long-term” **Bits and Bites** [Donald Trump: I’d Want a Politician as a Running Mate](http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2016/02/10/donald-trump-d-want-politician-as-running-mate.html) \[Fox Business\] [Cruz Campaign Removes Ad Featuring Softcore Porn Actress](http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/soft-core-porn-actress-in-new-cruz-ad-choosing-between-him-a?utm%5Fterm=.heQJ6nzwB#.dwygnDLwz) \[BuzzFeed\] [George W. Bush Set to Make Campaign Trail Debut for Jeb](http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/george-w-bush-set-make-campaign-trail-debut-jeb-n516801) \[NBC\] [Pressure’s on in Nevada for candidates and state](http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/02/11/jon-ralston-nevada-caucuses-clinton-sanders-trump-cruz/80255662/) \[USA Today\] [Obama Is Sick of Selfies](https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedNews/status/697575134127747073) \[BuzzFeed\] [Trump Rips Pope Francis for Visiting Mexican Border](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/donald-trump-pope-francis-mexican-border-219154) \[Politico\] [Hillary Clinton Endorsed By Congressional Black Caucus PAC](http://time.com/4217804/congressional-black-caucus-pac-hillary-clinton/) \[Associated Press\] [Here’s What the Democrats’ Social Security Debate Was About](http://time.com/4218837/democratic-debate-bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-social-security/) \[TIME\] ## Transcript The American people are tired of establishment politics. Tired of establishment economics, they want a political revolution. We need a government that represents all of us, not just a handful of wealthy campaign contributors. Especially with healthcare This is not about math, this is about people's lives. Healthcare is a right of all people. Not a privilege and I will fight for that. The numbers don't add up and many people will actually be worst off than they are right now. One final thought Senator. My thought is absolutely inaccurate. Look, here is the reality folks We have the courage to take on the drug companies and have the courage to take on the insurance companies and the medical equipment suppliers. If we do that, yes, we can guarantee health care to all people in a much more cost effective way. My price tag is about $ 100 billion. A year. Once I'm in the White House we will have enough political capital to be able to do that. Secretary Clinton, you are not in the White House yet. I will do away with the outrageous loopholes that have allowed profitable multi- national corporations to stash billions of dollars in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda. We bailed them out, now it is their time to help the middle class. Let's not in any way imply here that either President Obama or myself would in any way not take on any vested interested, whether it's Wall Street or drug companies or insurance companies or frankly the gun lobby to stand up to do what's best for the American people. Let's not insult the intelligence Of the American people? People aren't dumb. Why in God's name does Wall Street make huge campaign contributions? I guess just for the fun of it, they wanna throw money around. You know I am not asking people to support me because I'm a woman, I'm asking people to support me because I think I'm the most qualified experienced and ready person to be the President and the Commander in Chief. We will end the absurdity of women today making $ 0. 79 cents on the dollar compared to men. As President, I will look very carefully about unintended consequences. I will do everything I can. To make certain the United States and our brave men and women in the military do not get bogged down in perpetual warfare in the middle east. Senator Obama, when he ran against me, was against the war in Iraq. And yet when he won, he turned to me, trusting my judgement, my experience, to become secretary of state. Secretary of state for four years? You've got a bit of experience. I would imagine. But judgement matters as well. I know journalists have asked who you do listen to on foreign policy and we have yet to know who that is. Well it ain't Henry Kissinger, that's for sure. That's fine. Let's support. Port. What Secretary Kerry and the President are doing, but let's hope, that we can accelerate the cease fire. Because I fear that the Russians will continue their bombing, try to do everything they can do destroy what's left of the opposition. And remember, the. Russians have not gone after ISIS or any of the other terrorist groups. It's easy to talk to your friends. It's harder to talk to your enemies. I think we should do both. So we do as the United States have to support our friends, our allies in Europe. We have to stand with them. I very strongly disagree. Were those Republicans candidates who say you know what, we've gotta turn our backs. 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