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.

CarterWrenn200x271

Carter Wrenn

Gary Pearce 2024

Gary Pearce

Archives

Categories

M-O-N-E-Y

By Carter Wrenn June 10, 2025

The billionaire head of Amazon paid $40 million to buy the rights to a film about Trump’s wife – Melania Trump stands to make a $28 million profit. Of course, politicians using their power to make money is an old story. For years Joe Biden did it to help his son Hunter make money. But…

The News Lately

By Carter Wrenn June 9, 2025

Let’s take a look at what’s been in the news. On X, a Trump post included a photo of a billboard with his picture on it beside five words: Trump was right about EVERYTHING. DHHS Secretary Bobby Kennedy issued a report telling us how to improve our healthcare – but there was a problem: The…

Americans Against Fascism

By Gary Pearce June 9, 2025

There’s a big difference between Trump’s America and 1930s Germany: Americans are fighting back. As in Germany, jackbooted, helmeted government thugs are rounding up people the Leader deems undesirable. Trump’s Goebbels, Stephen Miller (photo), warns darkly of “insurrection.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vows, “Under President Trump, violence and destruction against federal agents and federal facilities…

When Monsters Fight

By Gary Pearce June 7, 2025

Trump and Musk are right about each other. Musk is right that Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” would bankrupt America, like Trump has bankrupted everything he’s ever done. Trump is right that Musk is deranged. It takes one to know one. This reminds me of those old movies where Godzilla and Mothra squared off. I…

Recant or You’re Fired

By Carter Wrenn June 5, 2025

Back in 1988, Floyd Brown’s Citizens United superpac ran an ad attacking Michael Dukakas for pardoning Willie Horton. The ad helped George H. W. Bush but Brown got a lot of heat for it. Fast forward forty-seven years: After Trump took over The Kennedy Center, Brown agreed to go to work at the center raising…

Trumps and Bidens

By Carter Wrenn June 2, 2025

Once-upon-a-time, not all that long ago, there were people in both parties who’d vote against a politician who tried to fool them by telling lies – and there were people in both parties who’d argue with someone on the other side, say, about taxes, and still call him their friend. Those days are all but…

Dems Aren’t Dead

By Gary Pearce May 29, 2025

Democrats shouldn’t minimize our problems. Nor should we exaggerate them. The New York Times, in an article headlined “Six Months Later, Democrats Are Still Searching for the Path Forward,” said the party’s standing “has plunged to startling new lows — 27 percent approval in a recent NBC News poll, the weakest in surveys dating to…

Who Is This?

By Carter Wrenn May 28, 2025

At 16 he was arrested using marijuana. As a teenager he got kicked out of two boarding schools. When he was 29 he got arrested for heroin possession. Driving through upstate New York he saw a dead bear by the side of the road, stopped, loaded the bear in his van, drove on to New…

New Day, New Leaders

By Gary Pearce May 26, 2025

I’m at the age (76) where conversations with old friends turn into “organ recitals.” Who has what illness or ailment? Who did your knee/hip/heart/shoulder/prostate surgery? How are Joe, Mary, et al getting along with their (fill in the blank)? No matter how sharp you are or what good shape you’re in, you start losing it…

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…