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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End Games

By Gary Pearce July 1, 2013

Having bullied their foes all session, legislative Republicans now have turned to bullying each other. And Governor McCrory did what he does best: he left town.   As legislatures often do at the end of session, this one has deteriorated into disagreement, dissension and mutual disgust.   Chief Senate Bully Tom Apodaca took all House…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

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…

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…

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…