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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Up in Smoke

By Carter Wrenn February 16, 2017

The phones began ringing and kept on ringing and each caller said the same thing: ‘I want you to hold more ‘Town Hall’ meetings.’ Sensing a groundswell of support for Town Hall Meetings, rolling across their districts, Republican Congressmen accommodated and walked straight into a trap. A few days later, stories began to appear in…

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The Ascent

By Carter Wrenn February 15, 2017

Last night, I finished reading Hitler: The Ascent. While working in a shop in Obersalzberg in 1926 Maria Reiter met Hitler. She was 16. And he was 37. Hitler’s next ‘love’ (which isn’t exactly the right word) Geli Raubal was 19 years younger than he was. Unity Mitford – who he met at a Nirenberg…

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Reading Tea Leaves

By Carter Wrenn February 14, 2017

He could have been bluffing – like a poker player. Or he could have been maneuvering to gain the upper hand – when he told the Mexican President: Either you agree to pay for the Wall or you cancel our meeting. After the Mexican President said, Meeting cancelled, Trump threatened him saying he’d put a…

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I Hit a Home Run

By Carter Wrenn February 13, 2017

“The thing I do best” – Donald Trump was talking about his infrastructure plan – “in life is build.” “That speech was a homerun. They loved it… people loved it” – Trump was describing his speech at the CIA.   He’d make “millions of people” happy, Trump said, with his plan to replace Obamacare. And…

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Choosing Allies

By Carter Wrenn February 10, 2017

Sitting in front of a green marble fireplace, interviewing Trump, Bill O’Reilly asked about Putin and Trump said, “It’s better to get along with Russia than not,” and O’Reilly said, “But he’s a killer, though. Putin’s a killer.” Trump paused. Pursed his lips, “There are a lot of killers. We’ve got a lot of killers.…

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Operating on Obamacare

By Gary Pearce February 9, 2017

Donald Trump and congressional Republicans made a big promise in 2016. They would repeal Obamacare. Immediately. Totally. End of discussion. Now, maybe not so much. Republicans on Capitol Hill say the operative word is no longer “repeal.” It’s “repair.” Still, they say, they’ll do it right away. But then Trump says, maybe not so fast.…

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Same Old, Same Old

By Carter Wrenn February 9, 2017

Sunday morning Nancy Pelosi sat down across from Chuck Todd and, wanly going through the motions on the Meet the Press, criticized Trump’s “Unconstitutional, immoral ban on Muslims” and said “I want to know what the Russians have on Trump.” It was the same-old same-old. Todd then played Pelosi a video of Elizabeth Warren talking…

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Walking with dogs

By Gary Pearce February 8, 2017

We all get tired of talking about politics. So let’s talk about dogs. Specifically, walking with dogs. Thanks to the mysterious workings of Facebook, something written 18 months ago popped up on my feed. And touched a chord. It was an August 2015 column by the N&O’s John Drescher, “Walking in all seasons with the…

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An Irish Column

By Carter Wrenn February 8, 2017

Last week a friend sent the column (below) from the Irish Independent in Dublin by Ian O’Doherty.                                             The Best of the Best–by a Poetic Irishman Tuesday November 8, 2016 – a day that will live in infamy, or the moment when America was made great again? The truth, as ever, will lie somewhere in…

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Stein’s Party Lines

By Gary Pearce January 14, 2025

Governor Josh Stein wisely ignored my semi-serious suggestion that he devote his inaugural speech to denouncing…

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Disaster Duty

By Gary Pearce January 12, 2025

Climate change has changed governors’ jobs. They now must be masters of disasters: floods, fires, hurricanes…

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The Past, Never Past, Just Keeps Repeating Itself

By Carter Wrenn January 10, 2025

The Past, Never Past, Just Keeps Repeating Itself Off and running, campaign racing down the road,…

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