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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The Fault Line

By Carter Wrenn March 16, 2012

Since before the Iowa Caucus the pundits have been saying what Republican voters care about most is electing the strongest candidate to beat Obama, or electing the candidate who’d fight hardest to cut spending. Almost everyone’s been opining ‘The election’s about who can beat Obama’ or ‘The election’s about spending,’ but it turns out that’s…

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The New John Edwards?

By Gary Pearce March 16, 2012

A Democratic operative (not in the governor’s race) says Bill Faison may place a statewide TV buy of nearly $1.5 million in April. Will Faison be the John Edwards of 2012?   That’s not fair to Faison. I don’t mean the John Edwards we came to know. I mean the Edwards we met in 1998,…

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Calling Out a Skunk

By Carter Wrenn March 15, 2012

Paul Coble reared up on his hind legs and slammed an evangelical, born again, Spirit moving Baptist by calling him a liberal gay marriage supporter – then added that’s the kind of no good varmint who’s supporting his opponent’s campaign and that’s all the reason anyone needs to know to vote against George Holding.  …

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Two Masters

By Gary Pearce March 15, 2012

You could earn a bachelor’s degree in political science just talking to the two of them: former Governor Jim Hunt and Congressman (and Minority Whip) Steny Hoyer.   They were together last night at a fundraiser for Congressman Larry Kissell hosted by Heather and Bruce Thompson in Raleigh.   Hoyer has represented Maryland in Congress…

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Suck It Up, Democrats

By Gary Pearce March 14, 2012

North Carolina Democrats need to get out of their funk.   You can see why so many of them are down. We got hammered in 2010. The Republicans grabbed control of the legislature, the budget, the political agenda, redistricting and fundraising with efficiency and ruthlessness.   Democrats got down even more when many of their…

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Jeanne Bonds Responds

By Gary Pearce March 13, 2012

Jeanne Bonds, “lead strategist” for Bill Faison’s campaign, posted a comment on my blog below, “Faison Strikes Out (Again) on Twitter?” I’ve removed her comment, because it made an accusation that I know isn’t true against another individual. But I’m more than happy to give space to her accusations against me, to wit:   “Gary Pearce…

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What Will Be the 2008 Game Changer?

By Gary Pearce March 13, 2012

You can be certain of one thing about the 2012 election: The thing that will decide it hasn’t happened yet.   At this point in 2008, nobody had heard of Sarah Palin. And nobody expected the economy to nearly collapse in six months.   The possibilities are endless: war with Iran? Another disaster in Afghanistan?…

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Faison Strikes (Out) Again on Twitter?

By Gary Pearce March 12, 2012

Last week I blogged (“Anti-Social Media”) about tweets by Jeanne Milliken Bonds, Bill Faison’s campaign manager. A TAPster now sees evidence that Faison’s campaign is behind a fake Bob Etheridge Twitter account.   The TAPster spotted identical tweets from both Bonds and the parody site “Bobby(B.B)Etheridge.”   Both Bonds and B.B. had tweeted: “The “restless…

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Faison Strikes (Out) Again on Twitter?

By Gary Pearce March 12, 2012

Last week I blogged (“Anti-Social Media”) about tweets by Jeanne Milliken Bonds, Bill Faison’s campaign manager. A TAPster now sees evidence that Faison’s campaign is behind a fake Bob Etheridge Twitter account.   The TAPster spotted identical tweets from both Bonds and the parody site “Bobby(B.B)Etheridge.”   Both Bonds and B.B. tweeted: “The “restless energy”…

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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…

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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…

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Puzzling

By Carter Wrenn March 7, 2025

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

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