Bernie Sanders is a canadidate for the Democratic Party’s bid for President of the United States in the primary election in 2016. His main opponent among the Democrats is Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State under Barack Obama. While Clinton has a lead in the polls, Sanders’ ideas have gained traction with a large portion of Americans. Sanders needs to broaden his target audience if he hopes to win the White House in the fall, but for now, he is a democratic contender to watch.

What people think of Bernie Sanders:

What Bernie Sanders actually is:

What people think Democratic Socialism is:

What Democratic Socialism really is:

To the Republicans, Sanders is talked about as some sort of terrorist plotting to take down the U.S. with his radical socialist ideas. The problem with that theory is that Bernie Sanders wants what’s best for America just as much as Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, or any other Republican.

While the ideology might be different, both parties are trying to solve the numerous crisises facing America. So this election season, I encourage everyone to turn on the debates and listen to each candidate’s platform and plan to solve these problems. While the rhetoric might be annoying even a single debate can be enough to change the way you think about certain issues. Or even change your choice of candidate.

Right now, candidates are making guarantees they cannot possibly promise and it is easy to be fooled into voting based on passion for a select issue. But be diligent in your decision listening for consistency in their message and concrete examples to back-up their ideas.

To ties this back to the beginning, Bernie Sanders seems radically different from those before him, but in reality, he’s not. Much like FDR, and Teddy Roosevelt, Sanders is addressing his nation in a time of extreme crisis and answering with outside the box answers to hopefully fix these problems. While not all will be successful, it’s clear we need someone in office who can work across the isle and think differently to solve the problems facing America.