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

An Unexpected Service

By Carter Wrenn August 13, 2012

Until Saturday Mitt Romney’s road to the White House was straightforward – the election was a debate about Barack Obama’s failure to turn the economy around.   That has now changed. The election will still be about Obama’s failure but it will also be about the Republicans’ cure for that failure: Paul Ryan’s budget.  …

Read More

Too Much Government

By Carter Wrenn August 10, 2012

The headline on John Dresher’s ‘tweet’ (“Wake Forest Baptist cited for violating federal regulations after monkey’s escape”) was more temptation than I could resist – I clicked on the link to the story imagining a ‘foot washing’ Baptist with a monkey and what the monkey could have done that landed him in trouble but, it…

Read More

An Odd Fact

By Carter Wrenn August 9, 2012

Whenever the question of how to improve education in North Carolina comes up the Democrats are a paragon of consistency: The solution, they say, is to spend more money.   Now, right or wrong, the Democrats are dead serious and whenever Republicans (who have a different idea about solutions to problems) don’t spend more on…

Read More

Popcorn Politics Part Deux

By Luther Snyder August 8, 2012

**Gary is taking a break from blogging and he asked a few Tapsters to post a few blogs. Here is another one a Tapster sent in:   The biggest day of the 2012 political calendar is August 10.   No, that’s not the start of the much-ballyhooed and underfunded Democratic National Convention, nor is it…

Read More

Popcorn Politics

By Luther Snyder August 7, 2012

  **Gary is taking a break from blogging and he asked a few Tapsters to post a few blogs. Here is one a Tapster sent in:   The rankings of the allegedly most influential lobbyists were released last week by the NC Center for Public Policy Research. This biennial joke was greeted by the usual…

Read More

When It’s Over…

By Carter Wrenn August 7, 2012

Harry Reid stands up beside his desk in the Senate and announces he’s got ‘credible evidence’ Mitt Romney hasn’t paid taxes for ten years – but then says he’s not sure it’s true.   The Chairman of the Republican Party, throwing manners aside, brands Reid a ‘dirty liar.’   Reid’s spokesman fires back it’s ‘clear…

Read More

Why Is It Close?

By Gary Pearce August 3, 2012

A prominent Democrat asked this question: “With the economy so bad, why is Obama even close in North Carolina?”   Three theories: (1) Voters like him; (2) they don’t like Romney; (3) they’re afraid the Tea Party has taken over the Republican Party. Maybe all three are right.   A poll found Obama leading in…

Read More

A Hard Fight

By Carter Wrenn August 2, 2012

It started four years ago as an uneven fight: Five rural County Commissioners against a multi-national conglomerate with plants from Iceland to Arabia – so, losing ground, the Commissioners who’re Republicans turned to the Democratic Governor for help and got it in an odd way: The Governor helped but, at the same time, her Department…

Read More

The Big Dog Speaks

By Gary Pearce August 2, 2012

Here’s why I’m glad Bill Clinton will have a big role at the Democratic convention: Nobody in American politics today is a better contrast to how brain-dead American politics is today.   Clinton is the one national figure who can weave sensible policy proposals from the extremes of left and right, the one politician who…

Read More

How Democrats Win Again

By Gary Pearce March 10, 2025

The shouting, sign-waving and cane-wielding by congressional Democrats at the State of the Union isn’t a…

Read More

Deborah Ross’ Rx

By Gary Pearce March 7, 2025

Curmudgeonly Cajun James Carville says Democrats just need to “roll over and play dead” and wait…

Read More

Puzzling

By Carter Wrenn March 7, 2025

Trump raised tariffs. Said tariffs are beautiful. The next day, about facing, said automakers didn’t have…

Read More