Highlights of the First Democratic Primary Debate—in GIFs!

We figured that, on a night when the candidates largely stuck to the issues, a shorthand version wouldn't hurt

The five Democratic presidential candidates finally got to weigh in on the issues tonight while all in the same place.

Two months after the Republicans first made for the biggest panoramic photo op at a primary debate ever, the relatively compact field of Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Lincoln Chafee, Jim Webb and Martin O'Malley gathered for the Democrats' first primary debate in Las Vegas.

CNN's Anderson Cooper did the moderating, Sheryl Crow sang the national anthem, Donald Trump did the live-tweeting...

And despite the usual almost-comical yet characteristic-and-comforting amount of gesticulating from Sanders, these candidates made for a pretty straight-forward two hours. Here's a rundown of the night's biggest moments in the way that the 21st century intended you to watch primary debates...

You know, in GIFs:

The cheerful—hey, I know you!—introductions

Sheryl Crow sang the "Star-Spangled Banner"

The candidates politely listened and Chafee may have been reacting to a slightly bum "rockets' red glare" moment

"Everything they've told you is bulls--t. I knew your father when he was this big."

That's not exactly what she said, but...we paraphrase

"You want me to respond to that?"

The former governor of Rhode Island and onetime Republican is asked whether he's a committed Democrat now.

Economic equality sounds great and all, but...in a nutshell...

"What Democratic socialism is about is saying that it is immoral and wrong that the top one-tenth of one percent of this country own almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent," Sanders explained.

"I support affordable college tuition..." "You call those hand gestures?"

"I don't want to talk not about my emails, but about what the American people want from the next president of the United States," Clinton asked when the inevitable personal-email question was asked. Sanders added, "Let me say something that may not be great politics, but I think the Secretary's right. And that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails." 

"Thank you," Hillary nodded in agreement. Which led to...

The handshake that just about shut the debate down.

Did you know debates had seventh-inning stretches? Here, Bernie Sanders conducts Beethoven's "9th"

But aren't you the ultimate insider? "I can't think of anything more of an outsider than electing the first woman president."

Well, Bernie thought it went super well!