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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An Odd Last Chapter

By Carter Wrenn November 17, 2017

For months professors at UNC battled the Board of Governors to save the law school’s Center for Civil Rights – the fight went on and on with former Dean Gene Nichol and current Dean Martin Brinkley both heaping praise on the Center for its lawsuits. In the end the Board won – but then an…

Pretty Evil

By Carter Wrenn November 16, 2017

The Facebook ad had a picture of Satan, horned and gargoyled, arm wrestling with Jesus, with Satan saying, If Hillary wins I win! and a caption that said, Today Americans are able to elect a President with godly moral principles… My vote goes for Trump! Who paid for the ad? It said the Army of…

Not My Fault

By Carter Wrenn November 15, 2017

President Trump made robo-calls and tweeted to help elect Ed Gillespie but as soon as Gillespie lost Trump made it clear who was to blame by tweeting: “Ed Gillespie… didn’t embrace me or what I stand for.”    It’s a hard world. And it’s easy to understand why Trump didn’t want to be blamed. But…

Divisions within divisions

By Gary Pearce November 15, 2017

We’re not just divided between Blue America and Red America, Democrat and Republican, right and left. We’re divided within our own tribes. And the internal fights can be the angriest, meanest and most bitter of all. Three factors fuel our political – and social and cultural – fights: population patterns, gerrymandering and how we use…

Fake News

By Carter Wrenn November 15, 2017

The California NAACP asked legislators to send a resolution to Washington to tell Congress ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ has to go as the national anthem – it was the latest political stunt but that story took off like a rocket and landed in newspapers from coast to coast and the headline in the Raleigh newspaper…

What Goes Around Comes Around

By Carter Wrenn November 14, 2017

It’s disappointing that Democrat Ralph Northam was elected Governor of Virginia – it’s worse that he won by five points more than Hillary. It’s disappointing Democrats in Virginia swept the House of Delegates elections – it’s worse that, since they aren’t very well known, most candidates for state legislature live and die by national trends…

Full Circle

By Carter Wrenn November 13, 2017

A Democrat wrote on a Republican Congressman’s Facebook page: You Republicans cut taxes for the wealthy by screwing the middle class. But think tanks, from the Tax Policy Center on the left to the Tax Foundation on right, have said Republicans cut income taxes on all income groups – from those earnings less than $10,000…

Take down your damn yard signs!

By Gary Pearce November 13, 2017

I may not get politicians to get past wasting money on yard signs. They’re like crack addicts.  But they at least could TAKE DOWN THEIR DAMN SIGNS AFTER THE ELECTION IS OVER!!! We’re talking about you, Nancy McFarlane and Charles Francis. Your unsightly, now-sagging signs are still cluttering rights-of-way.  In fairness, the Mayor’s election was…

A tale of two cities

By Gary Pearce November 10, 2017

Prosperous, progressive and, yes, white West Raleigh prevailed over less-prosperous, left-out, left-behind and, yes, black East Raleigh in the mayor’s race. Now the job of newly reelected Mayor Nancy McFarlane and the new City Council is to bridge the divide. And that’s the challenge for North Carolina Democrats who hope for a replay of Virginia’s…

Getting the News

By Gary Pearce March 13, 2026

How do you get your news? Our statewide poll asked North Carolina voters what their primary…

MAGA-gator

By Gary Pearce March 12, 2026

Thom Tillis and Phil Berger fed the MAGA alligator. Then it ate them. Thomas Mills wrote…

Enough is Enough

By Gary Pearce March 11, 2026

Exactly 80 years ago, in 1946, Republicans took control of Congress with a simple message: “Had…