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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Surprise, Surprise

By biglu February 4, 2013

  Gary is taking a break from blogging. Our guest blog today is from a Tapster. Republicans won control of the NC General Assembly with a promise to create jobs and improve the state’s economy.   So, where is the proposed legislation to do that?   Of the 100 or so bills introduced in the…

Sisters: Defend Yourselves

By biglu February 1, 2013

  Gary is taking a break from blogging. Our guest blogger is Joyce Fitzpatrick.   The war on women continues.   Cokie Roberts spoke Tuesday evening at the Kenan- Flagler School at UNC Chapel Hill about how inhospitable the Romney/Ryan ticket had been to women and immigrants. They responded in huge numbers to give President Obama…

The Next Generation

By nationhahn January 31, 2013

  Gary is taking a break from blogging. Our guest Tapster today is Nation Hahn.  It has been clear for several years that the NC Democratic Party has failed to build a deep bench of future leaders. It has become ever more clear during the Chairman race in recent weeks as people have tried to…

Among the Freshmen

By jstewart January 30, 2013

  Gary is taking a break from blogging. Our guest Tapster today is Joe Stewart of JRS Strategy Group.   Part of my work as former Political Director at NC Chamber involved seeking out solid business-minded people to run for the General Assembly.   Someone I met in 2010 pursing this goal was Rick Catlin.…

A Simple Prayer

By biglu January 29, 2013

  Gary is taking a break from blogging. Here’s one from another Tapster.   When the legislature makes its biennial return to town, our usual tendency is to ridicule the members’ narrow mindedness, laugh at their lack of political sophistication and hold our collective breath that they won’t destroy the state.   The gavel drops…

A Train Wreck

By Carter Wrenn January 29, 2013

The other day down at the News and Observer John Dresher wrote about the most enticing opening to an article I’ve seen in awhile. He wrote: “For their first date, Pat and Tiffany walk to a neighborhood diner for dinner. Pat orders Raisin Bran. Tiffany, perhaps already giving up on Pat, orders tea. They proceed…

Wanted: Perfect Party Chair

By biglu January 29, 2013

  Our guest TAPster is Mark Ezzell, long time political observer and founder of Englewood Planning Group, a Raleigh-based public affairs firm:   I love a good Barack Obama speech as much as the next Democrat, but I always cringed when he used the banal sounding line “we are the ones we’ve been looking for’.…

Talking About (Their) Generation

By jstewart January 28, 2013

Gary is taking a break from blogging. Our guest today is Joe Stewart.   Currently reaching their 18th birthday at a rate of 13,000 a day, the 80 million-strong Generation Y (those born 1982 – 1995) will be the majority of the US workforce and a full third of the voting population by 2015. This…

Big Thinking

By Carter Wrenn January 28, 2013

When it comes to climbing up on a soap box and waving his arms and hollerin’ like a banshee there’s hardly anyone who can hold a candle to Newt Gingrich. But there’s a peculiar trait about people who talk a lot about their ‘bold ideas’— when you boil away their highfalutin rhetoric a lot of…

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…