It's a long story Sanity and Mrs Palin's time has passed, but some years ago there was just an opportunity for an apolitical populist to break the mould of corporate controlled politics in the US.

Both Parties were running scared, and Mrs Palin had the gift of connecting with the public.....she could have been used as a talisman against corporate politics, if the voters had the sense to see that unity is essential if these people(the corporations) are to be defeated......As I said at the time, unity will never be achieved in America, or for that matter in the UK from the left. The left must adapt and play a longer game.
Mr Sanders is refreshing, but does not connect to ordinary folks in the way Mrs Palin did, before she was smothered by the Republicans and incinerated by the political media.