Best Lines of the Fifth Democratic Debate

— -- And then there were two – Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders offered their final pitches in New Hampshire ahead of the “first-in-the-nation” primaries Tuesday.

While the debate hosted by MSNBC included only two candidates, after Martin O’Malley suspended his campaign Monday, it wasn’t short of fiery exchanges.

Here are some of the best lines of the night:

ON BERNIE SANDERS

HILLARY CLINTON: “Well, let me start by saying that Senator Sanders and I share some very big Progressive goals.”

ON ACHIEVING HIS PROPOSALS

“Well I haven't quite run for president before,” Bernie Sanders quipped, after being asked by the moderator how he has spent nearly two decades in Congress without having passed his proposals.

ON OBAMACARE

HILLARY CLINTON: “There is no disagreement between us on universal coverage for health care. The disagreement is where do we start from and where do we end up? Senator Sanders wants us to start all over again.”

BERNIE SANDERS: “So I do believe in the future, not by dismantling what we have here. I helped write that bill, but by moving forward, rallying the American people. I do believe we should have health care for all.”

ON BEING A ‘PROGRESSIVE’

HILLARY CLINTON: “If we're going to get into labels, I don't think it was particularly Progressive to vote against the Brady Bill five times. I don't think it was Progressive to vote to give gun makers and sellers immunity. I don't think it was Progressive to vote against Ted Kennedy's immigration reform.”

Sanders has since said that he changed his position on the legislation that provided gunmakers with immunity in lawsuits.

“A Progressive is someone who makes progress. That what's I intend to do,” she also said.

ON RUNNING AGAINST DEMOCRATS

BERNIE SANDERS: “The Republicans did win by three points. I came in second. In that race the Democrat was the spoiler, not me," the Vermont senator said in response to his history of running against Democrats as a third party candidate and referring to a 1998 election.

Adding, “I want to see working people and young people come into the party in way that doesn't exist now. I want a 50-stage strategy so it's not just the party of 25 states.”

ON REPRESENTING THE ‘ESTABLISHMENT’

BERNIE SANDERS: “Secretary Clinton does represent the establishment. I represent, I hope, ordinary Americans and by the way who are not all that enamored with the establishment.”

Clinton fired back, “Senator Sanders is the only person who would characterize me a woman running to be the first woman president as exemplifying the establishment.”

“Enough is enough. If you've got something to say, say it directly,” Clinton added, referring to a suggestion that she's in the pocket of the special interests. “I think it's time to end the very artful smear that you and your campaign have been carrying out in recent weeks and let's talk about the issues that divide us.”

Sanders responded, “let's talk about issues.”

ON BREAKING UP THE ‘BIG BANKS’

“Kid gets caught with marijuana, that kid has a police record. A Wall Street executive destroys the economy, $5 billion settlement with the government, no criminal record,” Sanders argued. “That is what power is about. That is what corruption is about, and that is what has to change in the United States of America.”

HILLARY CLINTON: “We have a law -- I appreciate the senator's advocacy. We have a law. It was passed. It was signed by President Obama. It lays out a process that you go through to determine whether a systemic risk is posed.”

“But Madame secretary, it's not one street. Wall Street is an entity of unbelievable economic and political power,” Sanders responded.

ON THE WAR ON ISIS

BERNIE SANDERS: “We have a different background on this issue is we differ on the war in Iraq, which created barbaric organizations like ISIS. Not only did I vote against that war, I helped lead the opposition.”

“If I could respectfully add, look we did differ. A vote in 2002 is not a plan to defeat ISIS,” Clinton fired back.

ON HILLARY CLINTON

“I fully, fully concede that secretary Clinton, who was secretary of state for four years, has more experience. That is not arguable in foreign affairs, but experience is not the only point,” Sanders admitted.

ON GLOBAL AFFAIRS

BERNIE SANDERS: “Who said that I think we should normalize relations with Iran tomorrow? I never said that. I think we should move forward as quickly as we can.”

“I would say if I might, Madam secretary and you can correct me if I'm wrong, when you ran against senator Obama you thought him naive, naive because he thought it was a good idea to talk to our enemies,” Sanders added. I think those are exactly the people you have to talk to and you have to negotiate with.”

ON VETERAN AFFAIRS

HILLARY CLINTON: “I'm against privatizing the VA and I'm going do everything I can to build on the reforms that senator Sanders and others in congress have passed to try to fix what's wrong with the VA.”

ON THE IOWA CAUCUSES

“I agree with the Des Moines register, but let's not blow this out of proportion. This is not a winner take all thing,” Bernie Sanders said in response to an editorial by The Des Moines Register, calling on the Iowa Democratic Party to prove Monday’s caucus results are correct. “I think where we now stand, correct me if I am wrong, you have 22 delegates, I have 20 delegates. We need 2,500 delegates to win the nomination. This is not the biggest deal in the world.”

“I think people are blowing this up out of proportion, but I think we need improvements in the process by way results are determined,” Sanders continued.

“Whatever they decide to do, that's fine,” Clinton said when asked if she would agree to an audit.

ON HILLARY CLINTON’S EMAIL CONTROVERSY

“I am 100 percent confident [nothing will come of the investigation],” Clinton said in response to an ongoing FBI investigation about her handling of classified material.

BERNIE SANDERS: “I'm feeling the way I felt at the first debate. There's a process under way. I will not politicize it.”

At the first Democratic debate, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said he was sick of hearing about Clinton’s “damn emails.”

ON THE DEATH PENALTY

“In a world of so much violence and killing I don't believe the government should be part of the killing,” Sanders argued.

ON FLINT, MICHIGAN WATER CRISIS

BERNIE SANDERS: “Last point on this and I suspect the secretary agrees, one wonders if this were a white suburban community what kind of response there would have been.”

A poor, largely minority city in Michigan is ongoing a drinking water contamination crisis after changing its water source, the lead contamination is creating a serious public health danger.

ON A VP PICK

HILLARY CLINTON: “If I'm fortunate to be the nominee, the first person I call to talk to about where we go and how we get it done will be senator Sanders.”

Sanders responded, “On our worst days I think it is fair to say we are 100 times better than any Republican candidate.”