Socialism is a scary word if you live in modern-day America. The capitalistic corporations that sneak advertisements and subliminal messages into every hour of our lives have made sure of it.

And when Republican presidential candidates mention Bernie Sanders, he is easily dismissed as “a socialist” and, as such, “a non-threat.” But what does causing the largest political grassroots movement in U.S. history say about Sanders? All things considered, it says he’s a lot more than “a socialist.” Any political activism by residents of this overwhelmingly static country is impressive, and is most certainly necessary for a democratic state to remain as such.

As of Jan. 1, a whopping 2.5 million individual contributions have been made to the Sanders campaign.

This is no small feat, and these numbers broke President Obama’s record-setting campaign fundraising. For a politician who refuses to take money from corporations, this is necessary for Sanders to compete with candidates like Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, who have received hundreds of thousands of dollars from rich executives and corporations.

In his impressively effective grassroots campaign, Bernie Sanders has become a household name by being a voice for the common American.

When Sanders argues that it is absurd that the U.S. is the only major country in the world that doesn’t guarantee paid leave from work for new parents, citizens start listening.

When Sanders explains the ludicrous fact that the top one-tenth of one percent of Americans own almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent of Americans, citizens nod in agreement.

When  Sanders points out that systemic racial injustices are rampant, that “intolerable acts of violence [are] being perpetuated by police and racist acts of terrorism [are being carried out] by white supremacists,” when Sanders fights for common sense concepts like equality for all citizens, reasonably priced medicine, decent-paying jobs and college debt reform. Perhaps most importantly, Sanders acknowledges the truth that the current political stagnation in our country is due to the menacing presence of corporations, super PACs and billionaires who purposefully intervene in the political process by only bankrolling candidates who will back their agendas and lobbying for depriving citizens of basic rights like healthcare in order to raise their profits.

U.S. citizens realize that enough is enough and rally behind the man who doesn’t represent a corporation or the billionaire class or the polluting fossil fuel industry or the medicine industry or, in fact, any entity that is not the U.S. public.

When Sanders’ sensible political ideas became well-known, Americans responded en masse. Tens of thousands of supporters flock to each of his rallies, Feeling the Bern the whole time. With primary voting coming up, Sanders’ poll numbers have never been higher.

His common sense policies benefit the large majority of Americans instead of just those at the very top, and the grassroots activism of his campaign has inspired millions of Americans into political participation. Bernie Sanders is the beacon of hope America needs, and his message refuses to be silenced.