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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McCrory’s March Madness

By Gary Pearce April 1, 2016

If Pat McCrory loses in November, he’ll regret March. He came into the month like a lion. John Davis wrote that McCrory’s big primary win and passage of the Connect NC bonds positioned him well: “(His) seven terms as Mayor of the City of Charlotte seasoned him well to lead an urban dominant swing state.…

New Slogan for NC?

By Gary Pearce March 30, 2016

The way things are going, Pat McCrory will have to change North Carolina’s new branding slogan from “Nothing Compares” to “Nobody Comes to NC.” While the Governor and his media minions are freaking out over the Hate Bill 2 media frenzy, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is making hay. This week Deal, a Republican, vetoed a…

Old news

By Gary Pearce March 28, 2016

A close examination of newspaper ads shows why newspapers are dying: Those of us who get the print edition are about to die. Here, in order, are the ads on one random day: A half-page ad about reverse mortgages for seniors. A full-page ad for hearing aids (“a virtually invisible personal sound amplifier”). A quarter-page…

McCrory lays an Easter egg

By Gary Pearce March 25, 2016

If you’re not mad at Pat McCrory about the pick-on-LGBT-people bill, try this: Over Easter, his administration has ordered state troopers to ticket people going 56 in a 55 mph zone or 71 in a 70 mph zone. Forget about drunk drivers, texting drivers and truly reckless drivers. Let’s crack down on old farts like…

The Oldest Deal on Earth

By Carter Wrenn March 24, 2016

After a year of pummeling the Washington Establishment and vilifying Washington Politicians Donald Trump, at last, dangled a carrot: If he is the nominee, Trump said, he will be happy to raise money for the Republican Party. It was a clever gambit: Trump dangled the vision of millions of dollars flowing into the Republican National…

McCrory caves to the bullies

By Gary Pearce March 24, 2016

Pat McCrory is like the schoolboy who knows it’s wrong for the bullies to pick on the weak kid. But instead of standing up, he goes along with the bullies. It is an absolute failure of moral leadership. Republicans can spin it how they will, but this is about picking on politically vulnerable people to get…

Hillary has balls

By Gary Pearce March 23, 2016

Republican “leaders” have been too cowardly and too inept to take on Donald Trump. Not Hillary Clinton. She’s the one person in American politics today who has the toughness, the fortitude and, yes, the balls to stop the gold-plated Manhattan egomaniac from getting to the White House. Republicans waited for Trump to do himself in.…

A Pebble

By Carter Wrenn March 22, 2016

Talk about a politician doing an about face. And another about face. And a third about face. Six years ago when she was elected to Congress, Renee Ellmers ran as an Outsider. But after she arrived in Washington, wooed by the Establishment, made a fuss over by House Speaker John Boehner, she had a change…

Trumpenstein

By Gary Pearce March 21, 2016

Good ol’ Harry Reid gave the Republican Party hell last week for creating its Trump Frankenstein monster. Reid just didn’t go far enough. In a Washington speech, “Give ‘em hell” Harry said GOP leaders who now denounce Trump are to blame for Trump: “The Republican establishment acts bewildered. But they should not be bewildered. As much…

Independents Turn Against GOP

By Gary Pearce March 17, 2026

North Carolina voters don’t like either the Democratic or Republican parties. But Independent voters – who…

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…