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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Watch What They Do, Not What They Say

By Carter Wrenn March 12, 2013

Congressman Walter Jones is an old-fashioned soft-spoken Southerner – so when I saw he’d put a statement on Twitter, I thought, What the heck? I clicked and landed on a statement (Walter had made) that explained just about everything anyone needs to know about the Sequester in one-page.   Last month up in Washington President…

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UNC PR

By Gary Pearce March 11, 2013

Why does a university with so many journalism and PR grads get such bad PR in media outlets where lots of UNC grads work?   After Dan Kane’s report in The News & Observer Sunday – not to mention this weekend’s games – those grads might ask: Why did they hire a Duke guy for…

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A Good Read

By Gary Pearce March 9, 2013

If you want to know how local and state politics, TV news and Raleigh’s whole media/political world got to be the way it is, here’s the book for you.   It’s “I Never Promised Not to Tell,” a tell-almost-all by Grady Jefferys, a veteran writer-ad man-journalist-consultant who was there, as he says, “When Television and…

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White House Tours

By Carter Wrenn March 8, 2013

President Obama just announced the Sequester spending cuts are so terrible he has no choice but to cancel White House tours;—that upset House Speaker John Boehner who immediately cried foul, saying Obama was grandstanding and he (Boehner) had kept the Capitol tours running and Obama could have done the same thing – which is no…

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Incentivized

By Gary Pearce March 8, 2013

Governor McCrory and Republican legislators were against incentives before they were for them.   McCrory is clearly for them when he can bask in the announcement of 2,600 new jobs by MetLife. (Hello, Snoopy!)   Or maybe he’s for them when they are negotiated by Moore & Van Allen, his old law firm.   But…

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A Tale of Two States

By Gary Pearce March 7, 2013

While Governor McCrory prepares a “very, very tight budget” and blocks Medicaid expansion, the Republican governor of another purple Southern state is going in the opposite direction.   Governor Rick Scott of Florida was a Tea Party poster boy when he got elected in 2010. Now a Miami Tea Party leader has sent the governor…

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A Master Salesman

By Carter Wrenn March 6, 2013

Taking a deep breath, inhaling a lungful of the highly oxygenated Washington air, celebrity, intellectual, and poo-bah Newt Gingrich announced he, himself, personally, was about to deliver a ‘very-direct, no baloney’ manifesto on Republican politics – then lit into Karl Rove, saying Republican political consultants were arrogant idiots and that the country was better off…

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Cut Spending Now?

By Gary Pearce March 6, 2013

With Carter’s help, George Holding had a simple message last fall that boiled down the Republican mantra: “Cut spending now.”   It’s the one message that unites Republicans as they splinter over immigration, gay marriage and guns in the wake of Mitt Romney’s loss.   Here’s the challenge for Democrats: What’s your alternative?   House…

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Round Three Begins

By Carter Wrenn March 5, 2013

After the bell rang ending the Second Round of the Obama versus Boehner Fiscal Cliff-Sequester match-up, Obama danced around the ring arms raised as John Boehner staggered back to his corner wobbly-kneed.   Just six weeks ago, at the start of round two, the prim and proper Speaker was popular – viewed favorably by 29%…

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A Show

By Carter Wrenn January 31, 2025

Addison McDowell worked for Ted Budd, worked as a lobbyist, 31 years old ran for Congress,…

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Chaos, Carnage and Cruelty

By Gary Pearce January 31, 2025

Trump doesn’t care how much chaos he creates, how much carnage he causes and how much…

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Two Pieces

By Carter Wrenn January 30, 2025

When the smoke cleared – after Jesse Helms’ second campaign – we’d raised more money than…

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