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 Happiest Warrior

By Gary Pearce October 21, 2016

As this sad, dispiriting campaign winds down, one man looks like he’s having fun: President Obama. You see it when he speaks at rallies, when he chides Trump for “whining” and when he pokes fun at himself in interviews. So here are the imagined ruminations of the President during one of those late nights at…

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Such a nasty man

By Gary Pearce October 20, 2016

Donald Trump soundly defeated Donald Trump last night. For a while at the start, Republicans had reason to hope he would arrest the free fall. Then Trump slipped out of his handlers’ leash. Or the drugs wore off. And again we saw the real Donald Trump. The headline, of course, is that he is the…

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The Last Great Debate

By Carter Wrenn October 19, 2016

The ‘Last Great Debate’ starts in a few hours. In a nutshell a political debate like this one boils down to a simple fact: It’s a confrontation between two people – who’re facing each other across a stage – who each want to prove he or she will be a better President or Governor or…

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Why isn’t she winning by 50 points?

By Gary Pearce October 19, 2016

As Donald Trump continues to escape Earth orbit, Hillary Clinton’s election appears increasingly likely. Yet…why do we still fear that Trump will turn into an asteroid, slam into us on Election Day and pulverize life as we know it? Let’s look at two exhibits. In a perceptive analysis, Dan Balz of the Washington Post wrote…

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Debate tips for tonight

By Gary Pearce October 19, 2016

What should Clinton and Trump do tonight? Tim Funk of the Charlotte Observer put that question to several North Carolina talking heads, including Carter and me. Read “Here’s what NC experts say Clinton, Trump need to do in last-chance debate.”

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TAP on WUNC podcast

By Gary Pearce October 18, 2016

Not that long ago, Carter and I didn’t know what a podcast was. Now we’re on one. We talked for about an hour last week with Jeff Tiberii of WUNC Radio. You can listen here. Jeff asked us about most everything in this year’s elections – from President to the legislature. He tried to keep…

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Ryan’s Gambit

By Carter Wrenn October 13, 2016

It was like watching a fire start – an errant spark lands in the trashcan, the paper ignites, the rug smolders, the flames lick up the wall, the fire spreads throughout the house. Monday the Wall Street Journal published a poll showing Hillary rolling to an 11-point lead and showing Democrats ahead by 7 points…

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Pity Pat

By Gary Pearce October 13, 2016

He’s had death threats. He and his wife are being shunned socially. He was verbally assaulted by a 21-year-old drunk student, and she was arrested. Corporate executives and university presidents have abandoned him. The voters don’t understand HB2. Its supporters are being “purged.” “It gets to me, I just hide it until I go home…

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A Rock and a Hard Place

By Carter Wrenn October 12, 2016

Joe Klein published the best report on the Second Presidential Debate. There’s not much to add. Hillary was Hillary. No surprises there. More than a few folks thought Trump might disintegrate but he didn’t – so, as they say in politics, he ‘exceeded expectations.’ The result wasn’t exactly a resounding victory for Trump but he…

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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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