Clinton spent much of her opening statement at Saturday’s debate going after Republicans and, in doing so, admitted that a lot of that work will be on the defensive.
“We have to prevent Republicans from rolling back the progress that’s been made,” she said, describing the need to protect the Affordable Care Act and prevent huge tax giveaways to the rich.
This is, of course, an acknowledgement of the political reality that would face another Democratic president, who’s very likely to face a Republican-controlled Congress. But it’s also the message that reflects the real stakes of the general election, to which Clinton has been pivoting more and more with each successive debate.