"Mom and Dad are fighting!": Bernie and Hillary's first one-on-one debate quickly turns into a slugfest and leaves Twitter in shock

A debate over who's a real progressive and "artful smears" livens up the #DemDebate and heats up social media

By Sophia Tesfaye

Senior Politics Editor

Published February 5, 2016 3:10AM (EST)

 (AP Photo/David Goldman)
(AP Photo/David Goldman)

More than an hour into the first two person Democratic presidential debate of the cycle, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton carried on their arguments over the definition of a true "progressive" and Clinton's ties to Wall Street, finally heating up the Democratic debate stage for the first time this cycle and leaving #DemDebate Twitter ablaze.

"If you’ve got something to say, say it directly, but you will not find that I ever changed a view or a vote because of any donation that I ever received," a clearly frustrated Clinton told Sanders, demanding his campaign cease what she called an "artful smear" about her record on Wall Street regulations. For many, the opening fireworks were unsettling. There is still a second hour left ....


By Sophia Tesfaye

Sophia Tesfaye is Salon's senior editor for news and politics, and resides in Washington, D.C. You can find her on Twitter at @SophiaTesfaye.

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