"This may not be great politics," Bernie Sanders said on stage at the Democratic debate tonight, "but I think the secretary is right. And that is that the American people are sick of hearing about your damn emails."

In fact, the senator was right. It wasn't great politics. It was brilliant politics. The hashtag #DamnEmails began trending on Facebook and soon became the top social moment of the night, according to the company. It was also the most retweeted Tweet of any presidential candidate during the debate, according to Twitter.

The comment earned Sanders a handshake from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (whose much publicized private email scandal was in question); a standing ovation from the crowd; and a groundswell of activity online, all while shutting down the email topic for the rest of the debate. In one sentence, Sanders offered Clinton a hand and gave himself a boost, and he didn't have to attack Clinton the way the GOP candidates have to do it.

Of course, it helps that the most engaged state on Facebook during tonight's debate was Sen. Sanders' home state of Vermont, where a huge grassroots operation has been preparing to amplify his message online. That may have played a role in helping to spread the hashtag. That, or, you know, everyone is actually sick of those damn emails.