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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The New Democratic Faces

By Gary Pearce January 31, 2019

The contrast was stark when the new Congress convened this month. The Republican side was monochromatic: white men in dark suits. The Democratic side was diverse, varied and colorful – in clothing and complexion, age and gender, background and life experience. You’ll see the same contrast in the North Carolina General Assembly. You’ll see it…

Stoned and Stonewalled

By Gary Pearce January 28, 2019

Friday wasn’t Trump’s best day. Before dawn, Roger Stone surrendered to the FBI. Mid-afternoon, Trump surrendered to Nancy Pelosi. Stoned and stonewalled in less than 12 hours. Trump looked corrupt, clueless and – worst of all for him – weak. Corrupt because, even if there wasn’t a criminal conspiracy with Russia, there was a coverup.…

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.…

Obama 48-Trump 39

By Gary Pearce April 26, 2026

A new nationwide poll shows that, if they could run against each other in 2028, Barack…

“Conservative Successes”?

By Gary Pearce April 23, 2026

Senator Phil Berger was out of touch with voters in his district – and suffered the…

Rise and Fall

By Gary Pearce April 21, 2026

A reassuring lesson from our trip to Germany and Czechia is that dictators, despots and tyrants…