Fred Thompson was a great candidate in 2008. He actually did more campaigning than McCain, but the Drive By Media had agreed on its propaganda meme: Fred is lazy and boring.
From what I’ve heard, he was very impressive, warm, and amusing on YouTube. Did we really have a chance to watch him in the media? Supposedly, they didn’t give him much of a chance. They were busy pushing Mitt and Huck and other spoilers, in the hopes that either McCain or Rudy would win the primary. Unfortunately, they were successful.
Also, Palin’s not exactly Poujade. I don’t think she’s anti-intellecutal, and she’s certainly not anti-Semitic. I can’t help but wonder if maybe personal prejudice might be a factor in your opinion of her.
It should be mentioned that Poujade truly was an Archie Bunker type, particularly in his opinions on Jews. Sarah is not. Nevertheless, the message and the movement is very similar to that of Poujade, and I do find that many of (not all) Palin's supporter are indeed anti-intellectual, and Palin's glorification of the wisdom of the commons reminds me of the Poujadists.
The comparison is more in terms of presentation (and in the level of media attention that Palin and Poujade both received relative to their actual level of support) than of substance. I still believe that Palin will fizzle, despite all the media hype. We shall see...