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 Curse

By Carter Wrenn February 6, 2017

He’s been a TV star, a Master Dealmaker, and a mega-tycoon but success failed to make him popular. But, a year ago, after Donald Trump announced he was running for President his unpopularity didn’t matter: Because a curse settled on his opponents. Trump was elected due to his opponents’ vices not his virtues. Now, post-election,…

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Those Days Are Gone

By Carter Wrenn February 3, 2017

It’s the lynchpin of his plan: Paul Ryan wants to tax imports a trillion dollars over ten years so he can cut corporate taxes and income taxes an equal amount. It sounds straightforward. But there is an odd missing piece. A trillion dollars over ten years is $100 billion a year – and, in years…

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Cooper’s (familiar) challenge

By Gary Pearce February 3, 2017

Roy Cooper has seen this movie before. This time, he plays the lead. Thirty years ago, Cooper was a freshman House member. The Governor was a Republican. Democrats controlled the General Assembly. There were only 50 Republicans among the 170 House and Senate members. And the Governor didn’t have veto power. When Governor Jim Martin…

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The New Enemy

By Carter Wrenn February 2, 2017

Whether it was in his blood or whether, like a craft, it was a talent he honed he could walk into a board room and sell one group ‘the greatest deal ever’ in the morning and in the afternoon in another board room he could make the same promise to another group and since he…

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Petty Pat

By Gary Pearce February 2, 2017

Judging from his HB2 emails, Pat McCrory would fit in fine with Trump. He’s thin-skinned, obsessed with how the media treats him and always whining about unfair coverage. Now, let’s be fair. All politicians obsess about how the media reports on them. But here’s what separates leaders from politicians: Leaders learn. Instead of constantly complaining,…

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Trump’s brain

By Gary Pearce February 1, 2017

When Democrats look at Trump’s immigration ban, they see chaos, cruelty, carnage, confusion and controversy. Not to mention a lack of planning, a lack of coordination and even cause for impeachment. Steve Bannon sees things working out just like he planned. Bannon is Trump’s brain. Where Trump is impulsive, Bannon is strategic. Where Trump reacts…

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The Third Man

By Carter Wrenn January 31, 2017

Fearless and unfettered by creeds, mocking his foes, he tweeted New Year’s greetings to “my many enemies who have fought me and lost so badly.” His vanity boundless he loves talking about himself, boasting, ‘Great meeting…packed house…long standing ovations.’ When he speaks one man sees a Deliverer while another sees a devil; one roars he’s…

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Jerry Brown vs Trump

By Gary Pearce January 31, 2017

Mention Jerry Brown, and people are apt to laugh and say, “Governor Moonbeam” or “flake” or the like. Wrong. Today, Brown is serving his fourth term as California’s Governor. He restored his state to fiscal sanity. He made it a climate-change leader. He has emerged as a wise elder and truth-teller. And never more so…

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Alternative Universe

By Gary Pearce January 24, 2017

Trump started his Presidency with a speech that should have surprised no one. It’s what he said from day one. Then he sent his spokesman to tell a blatant, bald-faced, laughable lie about crowd sizes. “Alternative facts,” the White House explained. Trump has an obsession with the size of his things. Then hundreds of thousands…

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The View from Iceland

By Gary Pearce November 18, 2024

If you seek political asylum the next four years, try Iceland. We went there last week…

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Recessional

By Carter Wrenn November 11, 2024

The tumult and the shouting dies; The Captains and the Kings depart: Still stands Thine ancient…

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Mistakes and Miss-Takes

By Gary Pearce November 10, 2024

Bert Bennett of Winston-Salem, the legendary political godfather to Terry Sanford and Jim Hunt, had a…

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