People are what parties feed on. Their money and voluntary work and trust and loyality. People believe the best and close their eyes on obvious failures and character problems and more. Especially so if the politician has managed to become a president, prime minister or so. Yes, people love those men, their lacks are not counted or even recognized.
Different standards apply to the common man and rulers.
She denied that but was still fired. She had worked thirty years for the Post Office and was fired for eight dollars, and that against her denial. Dependent underdogs and special emissaries see to this also. Most party members do not read papers from other parties anyway, that would be wrong according to their conviction and according to party top. Most people read only what the own party writes in their paper, and repeat that as truth to others, so, if some few are upset by what they read or hear at other sources it is not too hard to find brand new ones somewhere else to fill the places of those leaving.