As the 2016 presidential elections creep closer every day, Iowa is becoming its usual coliseum for presidential candidates.

While most eyes, even those of some of my peers, are unfortunately focused on Donald Trump, many are ignoring the policies and beliefs of a man who I personally believe will become the Democratic presidential nominee: Bernie Sanders.

Sanders’ progressive policies and grassroots connection with many voters have resulted in a spike of support, especially during the past few weeks. But no other candidate is as misrepresented as Sanders. Sanders has painted a target on his back by calling himself a socialist. 

People must first make the distinction between Marxist socialism and democratic socialism, which is what Sanders considers himself to be, when discussing the policies of Bernie Sanders. Socialism is a dangerous word here in the United States, as it is often incorrectly synonymous with communism.

With the climate of the “Red Scare” a mere 60 years in the past, it is incredible that a person who aligns himself with such a taboo term could even be considered for president. But here we are.

Americans tend to align socialism with governments such as the Soviet Union, Vietnam and North Korea. But most Americans don’t realize that socialist practices are alive and well here in the United States and benefit many people on a daily basis. Social welfare such as food stamps and social security owes its creation to socialism.

Sanders compares his policies to the democratic socialism used in Scandinavian countries in northern Europe like Sweden and Norway. These countries are considered to be some of the happiest in the world.

The main difference between a prosperous socialist country and a totalitarian regime is how the economy interacts with the government.

Democratic socialism requires, as the name states, a democracy. As Sanders said earlier this month, Democratic socialists desire “a government which reflects the interest of ordinary people.” They do not wish to rid the country of big business but rather encourage the billionaire class to pay its fair share.

Sanders believes education and health care are rights of the people and therefore should be provided by the government. Sanders argues that capitalism can still thrive and can even be enhanced by some of these policies.

Another draw to Sanders is his vigorous attacks against campaigns funded by billionaire corporations. To me, this shows some integrity of what Sanders says. He doesn’t support taxing big business and then receiving millions of dollars in campaign funding like some of his peers.

The majority of his funds come from ordinary people. This gives the hope that the American people can have a candidate who actually listens to them instead of one who mindlessly shakes hands and kisses babies.

Bernie is considered to be an independent. He is just running for the Democratic Party’s nomination. Because of this, it’s possible that we may see more bipartisanship, which is something this country desperately needs.

Sanders is also committed to running more positive campaign ads instead of attacking other candidates. This is a nice breath of fresh air, especially since ad season is creeping up.

As someone who opposed the Affordable Care Act and grew up on a strong anti-socialist identity, I have been skeptical of Sanders’ claims. My biggest concern with socialism has always been the abuse of welfare systems and the incentive to work, which Sanders has not fully addressed. But compared to other presidential hopefuls, I have trouble counting him out.

The American people appear to be stuck with some very poor choices for the next president. On the right, we have a bigoted, rude, self-aggrandized billionaire with seemingly no regard for the hard-working minorities in this country, along with a handful of theocrats.

On the left, we have a seemingly habitual liar and a vice president who makes a fool of himself every time he has a camera on him.

Whether you agree with Sanders’ policies, he has shown a lot of promise. He is absolutely a candidate who deserves more attention and consideration by the American people.