Is The Right Oblivious To The Fact That Irrational Criticism Produces Blowback?

That is:

Even putting all the other points about the irrationality and immorality of trying to sell insane criticisms of a presidential candidate...doesn't the right realize that one of the effects is to solidify support behind that candidate?

I mean, it's not the most rational thing in the world, but here's the fact: the right's psychopathic anti-Clinton myth-making drove me farther in the pro-Clinton direction back in the '90's. And their super-duper-uber-psychopathic anti-Obama myth-making has made it very, very difficult for me to take even rational criticisms of Obama as seriously as I should.

So even from a purely prudential, selfish perspective, you'd think that conservatives would throttle back a bit on the lunacy.