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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Always Wrong

By Carter Wrenn February 7, 2025

It’s a kind of mystery – will hitting Canada and Mexico with tariffs land us in the promised land or in a ditch? The Wall Street Journal, shaking its head, saw Trump’s tariffs as a bad idea. Trump whacked back, calling the Journal ‘always wrong.’ The Wall Street Journal isn’t always right but it isn’t…

Broken Egg Promise

By Gary Pearce February 7, 2025

Waffle House shows Trump lied – and broke his biggest promise. He promised, “when I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one.” This week, Waffle House put a 50-cent surcharge on every egg it serves. It’s the Trump Egg Tax. All over the country, egg prices are going up in grocery…

Who Pays the Price

By Carter Wrenn February 5, 2025

Wiley lifted his cell phone, held it in the air in front of him, pushed a button, turned the phone toward Fred. ‘This is Trump’s new ad.’ Leaning forward, shoulders hunched, Fred watched. Rocking back, laughed. ‘That’s great.’ Parting his lips in a crooked grin, voice sharp, grating, Wiley turned to me. ‘I’m guessing in…

Going Too Far

By Carter Wrenn February 3, 2025

Cheeks round, pudgy fingers fumbling, Ellmer took a newspaper article out of his briefcase, pushed it across the table toward me: ‘I’ll bet you disagwee with Trump on this?’  Sputtering, unable to pronounce r’s, he turned them into w’s. Sitting beside him Wiley’s lips curled in a crooked grin – at the end of the…

Dividing Line

By Gary Pearce February 3, 2025

Trump has done America a big favor: in just two weeks, he’s drawn a bright line between decency and cruelty, honesty and dishonesty, courage and cowardice, competence and incompetence, compassion and contempt. If you want the freedom to openly show your bigotry and prejudice, you stand with Trump. If you want the liberty to tell…

A Show

By Carter Wrenn January 31, 2025

Addison McDowell worked for Ted Budd, worked as a lobbyist, 31 years old ran for Congress, got Trump’s endorsement in the primary, headed to a runoff with Mark Walker. Trump offered Walker a job – Walker got out of the race. McDowell won, took the oath of office, posted on X he’d sponsored a bill…

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 cruelty he inflicts on people, including his own supporters. It’s all about making himself look big, strong and powerful. It’s all a show. Before, it was The Apprentice. Now, it’s The President. He makes a show of signing executive…

Two Pieces

By Carter Wrenn January 30, 2025

When the smoke cleared – after Jesse Helms’ second campaign – we’d raised more money than anyone had ever raised in a Senate election; at the start of that campaign staring at reams of new election laws, confounded, I’d called Stan Evans head of the American Conservative Union. “I’m going to need a lawyer.” Stan…

Mish-Mash

By Carter Wrenn January 29, 2025

Tim Waltz posted a photo of himself standing outside in a snowstorm wearing a flannel shirt – mocking Waltz, Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita posted above the photo, Everyone knows you wear a dress Tim. Above a video of Biden walking to a car, stopping, straining to hear questions shouted by a reporter, Trump’s press…

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…