One thing they understand very well at Fox, and in the conservative movement more generally, is the political value of shamelessness. As long as you say what you're saying with conviction, it doesn't matter how absurd or hypocritical it is. You may not get the majority of the public to agree with you, but you can get a good number. ... As a result, conservatives may not win every argument, but they almost never get routed completely.

The general amnesia of the American public aids this in the short run. But Beck's ratings reveal, it may not be a good long-term strategy. And as Jonathan Bernstein notes: