For related articles and more information, please visit OCA’s Politics and Democracy page and our South Carolina News page.

By now you’ve heard the story a million times: The Gingrich bandwagon limps into South Carolina trailing frontrunner Mitt Romney by a full 10 points (or more), but the pugnacious Newt rallies the troops with his fiery performance at the debates turning certain defeat into a landslide victory. Woo-hoo!

By Sunday, the philandering ex-Speaker’s triumphant grin can be seen plastered in headlines across the country while political pundits from both sides of the aisle scratch their heads and ponder the shocking upset that’s turned the campaign into a two-man, no-holds-barred, steelcage smackdown.

Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Too bad it’s all baloney.

Here’s a clip from an article in FOX News mulling-over the Gingrich buzz:

“Newt Gingrich’s South Carolina State co-chairman John Napier knew the “Gingrich surge” was real last Sunday afternoon. Napier, a former U.S. Congressman and retired Federal Judge, pulled into the parking lot of the Land’s End Restaurant in Georgetown, S.C. for a Gingrich event expected to draw 25-30 people. Instead, over 350 people showed up before others had to be turned away. Napier said, “There were people there we hadn’t seen since Reagan ran.” Napier should now. He was swept into Congress from a rural district in SC in 1980 on the coattails of the Reagan Revolution.” (Newt- Gingrich wins South Carolina primary by uniting Reagan Republicans”, Fox News)

Oh, yeah; they’re packing them in for Newtster, just like they did for the Gipper.