Now that he's in the national spotlight he's getting a lot of unwarranted hate. There's a rush to discredit him, as if he either doesn't have technical details for his plans (he does) or that he doesn't know how to pay for his proposals (he does). Sanders' campaign is based on the same principle his whole career has been; ethics in politics. The difference between him and most other leftist politicians is that he has the record to back up his rhetoric; he's shown consistency in both message and accuracy for decades.
Here are some old C-Span videos of Bernie ranting about things in Congress -- you might notice how often he's on point long before most of America catches up.
- Bernie Sanders opposes the Iraq War and questionable evidence (2003)
- Bernie Sanders confronts chairman of the Fed, Alan Greenspan, about a broken banking/economic system (2003)
- Bernie Sanders standing up against discrimination against gay people (1995)
- Bernie Sanders opposing the TPP (March 2015)
- Bernie Sanders opposing NAFTA and proposing a Congress pay cut (1993)
- Bernie Sanders on incarcerating the country (1993)
- Bernie Sanders arguing for universal health care (1993)
- Bernie Sanders railing against welfare for big multinationals, and Wal-Mart in particular (2008)
- Bernie Sanders on climate change science (2010)
- Bernie Sanders on how we're making money off of oppressive regimes without commenting on their ethical issues (1998)
- Bernie Sanders reading letters from his constituents, discusses the collapse of the middle class (2010)
Even if you already know the guy, I recommend watching some of these videos. It's fascinating to watch. I actually like talking about the guy -- his life work legitimately impresses me. It's fascinating to watch him consistently push for ethical governance through decades' worth of video.