Carter is a Republican. Gary is a Democrat.

They met in 1984, during the epic U.S. Senate battle between Jesse Helms and Jim Hunt. Carter worked for Helms and Gary, for Hunt.

Years later, they became friends. They even worked together on some nonpolitical clients.

They enjoy talking about politics. So they started this blog in 2005.

They’re still talking. And they invite you to join the conversation.

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Carter Wrenn

Gary Pearce 2024

Gary Pearce

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Forgiving Errant Tweets

By Carter Wrenn January 28, 2019

President Reagan threw the Russians into a somersault with two words – Star Wars – but then the Berlin Wall fell and the two words vanished. Thirty years later when North Korea started testing nuclear missiles I assumed we’d built Star Wars but no one knew about it because it was top secret – but…

Unbranding the Wall

By Carter Wrenn January 25, 2019

Trump’s trapped. After three years of rallies, tweets and boasts ‘The Wall’ now wears Trump’s brand like a Trump Tower Hotel. Trump and the Wall are one. If you like Trump, you like The Wall; if you dislike Trump, you dislike The Wall. Whether you’re for or against The Wall doesn’t have much to do…

Play to win, Tar Heels

By Gary Pearce January 24, 2019

I’m a Wolfpack fan, but I’m pulling for Carolina to win this game. I just hope the Heels know what game they’re in. It’s hardball politics. Since the 2010 election, my UNC friends have griped and grumbled about how the Republican legislature treats their beloved school. Now there’s a crisis. Boss Berger & Co. are…

Greed and Fake News

By Carter Wrenn January 23, 2019

The headline – School system will reduce lunch menus due to shutdown – evoked images of hungry children; I clicked and read: Vance County Schools’ reduced lunch menu will be one main dish, bread, two vegetables, one fruit and milk. What had been ‘reduced?’ There’d be no ice cream, no more bottled water and canned…

A Knife and a Subpoena

By Carter Wrenn January 18, 2019

All it takes to drive a horde of Democrats crazy is a Trump tweet – in the blink of an eye a mob as ruthless as Trump goes on an internet rampage breeding sound and fury, providing one more sign of politics rolling downhill. In the meantime, over in Congress, there’s a grim-faced Democrat who’s…

Trump-World and Bernie-Land

By Carter Wrenn January 17, 2019

Who’d have believed it – in the New York Times women are telling tales about how they were sexually harassed during Bernie Sanders’ campaign: One woman told how after she “complained to her supervisor” about being harassed “he laughed” and another told how “there was no one who would or could help” when she was…

Run, everybody, run

By Gary Pearce January 16, 2019

Run, Joe, run. Run, Elizabeth, run. Run, Beto, run. Run, Kamala, run. Run, Kirsten and Julian and Cory and Amy and Donner and Blitzen, Prancer and Dancer, Bluto and Pluto and Rudolph and all the Democratic 2020 hopefuls. If Democrats make a mistake this time, it’ll damn sure be a different mistake from last time.…

Another Gift?

By Carter Wrenn January 16, 2019

Trump’s popularity is hovering around 42% which means to win another election he must have people who don’t like him vote for him. Can he pull that rabbit out of a hat? No. He needs Democrats to hand him a gift: Another opponent voters dislike more than they dislike him – like Hillary. Elizabeth Warren,…

Words or Deeds?

By Carter Wrenn January 15, 2019

He said he’d hoped Trump’s campaign would stop name calling – but it didn’t. He said that after Trump won he’d hoped he’d clean up his act – but he didn’t. And a few minutes after Mitt Romney lit into Trump the Republican world ignited with Trump tweeting and Trump’s Campaign Manager telling the newspapers,…

Getting the News

By Gary Pearce March 13, 2026

How do you get your news? Our statewide poll asked North Carolina voters what their primary…

MAGA-gator

By Gary Pearce March 12, 2026

Thom Tillis and Phil Berger fed the MAGA alligator. Then it ate them. Thomas Mills wrote…

Enough is Enough

By Gary Pearce March 11, 2026

Exactly 80 years ago, in 1946, Republicans took control of Congress with a simple message: “Had…