I think that has a lot to do with it. Fox and Rush make their living keeping people enflamed, and they will say anything to do just that. Rupert Murdoch gives all Fox pundits a list of phrases, and talking points daily, and they are required to repeat these over and over, regardless of whether it's true or not. His theory seems to be that if you repeat a lie enough times, people start to believe it, and in some cases, it's working for him. Rush Limbaughs fans proudly call themselves 'dittoheads', which pretty much speaks for itself. This is what passes for 'Fair and balanced' reporting these days.