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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How Lucky Can a Fellow Get?

By Carter Wrenn June 25, 2013

So John Kerry flies all the way to Qatar to meet with the Taliban and the Afghan government for three-way peace talks. But, when he gets there he finds the Taliban’s opened an office with its flag flying on top of the building like it’s an embassy, and the moment the Afghan government negotiators lay…

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Restless Natives

By biglu June 25, 2013

Gary is taking a break from blogging. Our guest blogger filling in for Gary is a Tapster. The recent dustup about so-called ‘outside’ agitators spear-heading the Moral Monday protests has spotlighted a significant trend in North Carolina: the state actually is being run by outsiders. Each of the last two Gov’s were born in other states, and…

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The Best Years of Our Lives

By Carter Wrenn June 24, 2013

  About two weeks ago one of the cable TV channels ran old Elvis movies every night which was a happy event until the night my wife walked into the room, saw Elvis singing “Return to Sender,” and asked diplomatically if, since I’d seen four Elvis movies that week, I’d like to watch the Billboard…

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The Last Thing Pat McCrory Needed

By Carter Wrenn June 21, 2013

All last year Democrats hammered away at Pat McCrory saying, Disclose, disclose, disclose – demanding McCrory disclose the clients he worked with at the Charlotte law firm of Moore and Van Allen.   Apparently, no one gave a toot and, after the election, the Governor may well have thought and he’d heard the word disclose…

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Mean Hallways

By Gary Pearce June 21, 2013

The word that keeps popping up when people describe the atmosphere at the legislature is “mean.”    “Everybody you pass in the halls is either somebody who screwed you or somebody you hate,” said one aide to a Republican leader. “It’s all about revenge, Republicans getting even for all those years out of power,” said…

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Tune Us In

By Gary Pearce June 20, 2013

Carter and I will be guests on WUNC radio’s “State of Things” at noon Friday. We’re told the topics are “Jim Holshouser’s legacy and the changing Republican Party/state politics.” Of course, we’ll talk about whatever crosses our minds.

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A Wobbly Kind of Conservatism

By Carter Wrenn June 20, 2013

Thom Tillis said he was running for Senate and as soon as he got the words out of his mouth Greg Brannon, the Libertarian doctor who’s also running, let fly with a broadside calling Tillis “yet another in a long line of career politicians eager to take the next step on the ladder of political…

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Still Broken

By Carter Wrenn June 20, 2013

Earlier this year there was a lot of moaning and gnashing of teeth about the terrible Sequester spending cuts – listening to the politicians up in Washington you’d have thought the government was teetering on its last legs, on the brink of financial Armageddon, staring doom in the face.   President Obama even said the…

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Rollback Backlash

By Gary Pearce June 19, 2013

Looking at the Great Republican Rollback, Democrats are tempted to attack on every front: taxes, Medicaid, teacher pay, jetty ban, Jordan Lake, Child Fatality Task Force, Rural Center, Racial Justice, voter ID, jobless benefits, campaign financing, etc., etc.   Focus, people.   In politics, to say 10 things – or even two things – is…

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Spinning Tales

By Carter Wrenn March 3, 2025

Trump growled Zelensky started the Ukraine war. John Bolton said Trump was wrong. Angry, my friend…

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Vanished

By Gary Pearce March 3, 2025

Ronald Reagan stood at the Berlin Wall and stood up to what he called the “Evil…

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Anything Goes…

By Carter Wrenn February 26, 2025

Back when Rod Blagojevich ran for governor of Illinois, Obama endorsed him and Trump gave his…

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