http://www.raisetheminimumwage.com/pages/polling http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/campaign-ads/264087-poll-majority-want-corporate-money-out-of-politics http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/poll-most-support-making-college-free/article/2572333 http://www.gallup.com/poll/186260/back-legal-marijuana.aspx http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/2/23/poll-most-americans-support-raising-investment-taxes-for-wealthy.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_Canada Bernie Sanders has a reputation in the United States as a "extreme leftist," and an idealist politician. However, this is simply not true, and the evidence is right in front of us. Not only are Sanders' policies mainstream and moderate by international standards, but the majority of the American people are actually on board with most of these ideas. 1. 63% of Americans support raising the minimum wage to at $15.00 by 2020 2. A majority (70-80% believe in reducing or removing corporate money from politics 3. 62% support free tuition 4. 58% support the legalization of recreational marijuana 5. And 68% support raising corporate taxes. When it comes to my first point: The U.S. is one of the only developed nations without a universal healthcare system. My home country of Canada, has had a universal healthcare system since 1968, and it has worked just fine. As a person who struggles with mental illness, I don't think I would be alive today, if my parents had to pay out of their pockets for every hospital visit, every medication prescribed, and every therapist I've met. They would be broke and I would've killed myself long ago from guilt. This is a real issue in the U.S., where people are unable to get the medical help they need, because they can't afford it. No one should have to go through that. When it comes to affordable/universal tuition, there are over 30 developed countries that have this. Denmark, Germany, Ireland, France, Sweden and Morocco, just to name a few. Also in Ontario, Canada, the Provincial Liberal government will pass legislation in 2017 to provide free tuition for low income families. The Liberals in New Brunswick are also considering this as well. I could go on with examples of how mainstream Bernie's policies are but I will probably surpass the 10,000 character limit, so I'd like so end on this note. The reason why everyone thinks Bernie Sanders is so radical, is because America's Overton window (the range of ideas that people support) is so far to the right for so many things, that there is no real left-wing in America. Bernie Sanders would easily pass as a mainstream Liberal, maybe even a Conservative in the Netherlands! When Americans see a true progressive, they are frightened, because true progressivism (not corporate neoliberalism) is alien to them. It's important to understand that even though Bernie is going to lose this election, the war for $15, the war for free healthcare, and the war to make America truly great again, isn't over, it's only just beginning. [b]TL;DR[/b] Bernie is a centrist by international political standards and Americans are crazy right-wingers that don't understand true liberal ideas. [b]UPDATE:[/b] Found this on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=860763885886&set=gm.913682105416224&type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/OccupyDemocrats/photos/a.347907068635687.81180.346937065399354/1129978487095204/?type=3&theater A meme that proves Trump is a liar and hypocrite. Look up the info for yourself. 2000 doctors support Bernie's stances on Universal Healthcare https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/05/05/2000-doctors-say-bernie-sanders-has-the-right-approach-to-health-care/