It is that time again; that time when the debates are happening, the poll results are coming in, and the day of the Presidential nominations is looming on the horizon. Early in the race for the Democratic nomination, former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton, seemed like the obvious choice. But now, coming in from the left field, is Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

As a candidate that has been long under the radar, Bernie did not seem to pose much of a political threat. However due to his candid and impassioned nature, he slowly began to gain support. His stances are strong, concrete, and cover a wide array of political issues in the United States.

He focuses on economic issues such as income and wealth inequality, raising the minimum wage, universal healthcare, reducing the burden of student debt, and making public colleges tuition-free. Sanders is also a prominent supporter of laws requiring companies to provide their employees with parental leave, sick leave, and vacation time, noting that such laws have been adopted by almost every developed country besides the United States.

Sanders is also incredibly outspoken about civil rights issues and has a 50-year history of standing up for civil and minority rights. At his rallies in Phoenix, Dallas, and Houston, he passionately condemned police brutality and racism. He is also a proud supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, and for over 40 years has called for the abolishment of all laws related to discrimination against homosexuality.

 Many presidential candidates tend to gloss over their views of civil rights, mainly out of fear of causing a controversy. Sanders, however, is more than willing to talk about his standings. In 2014, young immigration activists repeatedly tried to talk to Hillary Clinton and ask her about executive action. While Clinton did not talk to them, Bernie Sanders was not only willing to talk, but agreed with their call for executive action.

Bernie Sanders is here to stay, and is a candidate that needs to be taken seriously. Meghan Murphy (10) supports Sanders because of, “the way he aims to change America and how he supports bringing successful aspects of socialism into the economy.” Nevertheless, the fact that he is a self-proclaimed socialist has perhaps dissuaded a substantial portion of the American populous to turn down Sanders’ proposed policies. The United States is, of course, known for being an industry-driven, historically capitalist nation, in which the second-most frowned upon “s” word is “socialism”, as it sends shivers down the spines of Uncle Sam entrepreneurs.

However, this clash of ideals probably finds its origins in the fact that various educational systems in the United States are biased against this system, especially after an era of anti-communist propaganda while the U.S was engaged in warfare against the U.S.S.R during the Cold War after World War II. Perhaps the United States is ready for a change.

Bernie Sanders’ campaign has proclaimed an increase in prominence over the internet, which can be evident when examining the spread of information on his policies over social mediums. It should also be noted that a significant amount of the candidate’s supporters are youth, part of a generation that seems to be more open to changes and inclinations in conservative policies — such as those proposed by Sanders.

“Bernie Sanders represents the counterculture of the youth in the United States” says Madison Boll (12) “he is really focused on social issues. He addresses the controversial matter of extreme disparity and the tremendous wealth gap in the United States, like the constant matter of the 1% versus the rest of the population”. And as the polls and surveys demonstrate, Bernie Sanders has shown an increase in popularity, especially after the “Top Secret” e-mail scandal that may have perhaps tarnished Hillary Clinton’s reputation for some voters.

Even though there is still a long way until the day arrives in which millions of United States Citizens will have to contribute towards the selection of the next leader of their nation, it is important to remain informed and uphold a nondiscriminatory attitude while in the process of candidate consideration. Of course, we cannot yet make any predictions regarding the 2016 elections, as there is still room for growing tension and competition between all of the political candidates. We hope that the next president of the United States serves the country, and is able to finally put at rest the recurring issues that plague the nation.

Hanna W, Paola L