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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Reality Show Politics

By Carter Wrenn May 16, 2018

Republicans elected Donald Trump to ‘drain the swamp’ and today they still enjoy watching the ‘Trump Show’ but it’s beginning to look like he’s not going to be able to whip the Washington Establishment. Instead, many of the men around Trump have morphed into Washington Insiders themselves. Tom Price is one example. It’s an old…

A Tiff (Between Democrats)

By Carter Wrenn May 15, 2018

It was odd. In Wake County, during their primary, a coalition of liberal activists led by Dean Debnam launched a campaign to defeat four incumbent Democratic County Commissioners (who I’d always thought of as pretty liberal themselves). You wouldn’t usually expect to find a liberal Democrat doing favors for a developer but that’s exactly what…

Dick Jenrette’s rules

By Gary Pearce May 14, 2018

Raleigh native (and Broughton grad) Richard Jenrette was a legend on Wall Street and in the world of historic preservation. He also earned the admiration of a wide range of friends and associates. When he died recently at the age of 89, he left behind on his desk 24 rules to succeed – in finance…

A Shared Value

By Carter Wrenn May 14, 2018

You need to ask a question about Workfare, the pollster said. As a rule of thumb, you can ask sixty questions in a poll and I’d started out with ninety – I looked down at the thirty questions I’d deleted then asked, Do you think people are more concerned about Workfare than these other issues?…

Hall’s fall

By Gary Pearce May 10, 2018

Duane Hall didn’t let party leaders push him out. So the voters threw him out. Hall’s handling of sexual harassment accusations smacked of Trump. Hall denied ever doing anything wrong. He attacked the women who spoke up. He attacked the media as having a “personal vendetta” against him. Only 27 percent of the primary voters…

Hall’s fall

By Gary Pearce May 10, 2018

Duane Hall didn’t let party leaders push him out. So the voters threw him out. Hall’s handling of sexual harassment accusations smacked of Trump. Hall denied ever doing anything wrong. He attacked the women who spoke up. He attacked the media as having a “personal vendetta” against him. Only 27 percent of the primary voters…

The N&O leaves home

By Gary Pearce May 8, 2018

The N&O has left its old home, about the same time I stopped getting the paper at home. I hope the change works out for both of us. It may be tough for them. I hear money is tight there, and my going digital-only is a $470 hit to their revenues. Rob Christensen was right…

Trump lies

By Gary Pearce May 3, 2018

Now, I could do a blog with that title every day. And I choose not to go down that path. But this is a special case. Who past the age of 10 fakes a doctor’s note? And who would write things like “he would without doubt be the healthiest individual ever elected President”? Just one,…

How Democrats can lose

By Gary Pearce May 1, 2018

This is how Democrats can turn the much-hyped “blue wave” into barely a ripple. This is why I tell Republicans who fear a Democratic landslide this year, “Don’t worry. We’ll find a way to screw it up. We’ve got our best people working on it.” Equality NC says it won’t support Democratic legislators who voted…

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…