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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Tillis vs. Media

By Gary Pearce January 9, 2012

Speaker Thom Tillis has enjoyed pretty good press over the past year. Then he has one bad day – or, more accurately, late night/early morning – and he gets touchy:   “Tomorrow will be the last day I receive the Charlotte Observer at home after nearly 14 years. I decided if the Charlotte Observer is…

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McCrory Plays the Media

By Gary Pearce January 9, 2012

I haven’t kept count, but I guess that so far Pat McCrory has “announced” he’s running for Governor about – I don’t know, say a bazillion times.   So this tweet from Blair Miller, anchor-reporter at WSOC-TV in Charlotte, caught my eye:   “Asked the McCrory camp (twice) when/where “official” announcement for his candidacy will…

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The Republican War on Teachers

By Gary Pearce January 6, 2012

Here’s a good use for Bill Faison’s half-million dollars – or somebody’s: a super-PAC that hammers at the “legislature’s war on teachers.”   Here’s the message (or narrative, as we say today): “First they slashed education budgets and forced layoffs of hundreds of teachers and teacher assistants. Then they took college scholarships away from aspiring…

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Let Newt Be Newt

By Gary Pearce January 6, 2012

The last time Newt Gingrich got this mad, he shut down the federal government. He thought Bill Clinton disrespected him by giving him a bad seat on Air Force One.   Now he thinks Mitt Romney disrespected him by having super-PACs dump millions of dollars on his head in Iowa, making his comeback one of…

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School Bells or Alarm Bells?

By Gary Pearce January 5, 2012

I don’t know enough to judge the changes the new Wake school board is making in the assignment plan. Of course, I’m inclined to trust the new members – and distrust anything the old majority did.   But I’m bothered.   In the board elections last year and two years ago, voters rebelled against too…

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After Midnight

By Gary Pearce January 5, 2012

The legislature apparently is determined to help Governor Perdue win reelection.   The worse the legislature looks, the better her chances in November look. Now she can bash them over a post-midnight power play that punishes teachers who dare to speak out against education budget cuts. (That’s how I’d explain it. It will make a…

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Two Headlines

By Carter Wrenn January 4, 2012

Newspaper headline: ‘Santorum strategy pays off.’   New York Times  synopsis: Rick Santorum reached the top in Iowa with a savvy strategy – by relying on his own instincts he succeeded with no polls, no speechwriter, and skeletal advertising.   That’s one explanation. Of course, there’s another.   Headline: Lightning strikes Santorum.   Synopsis: After his…

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The Bedrock Beneath Our Feet

By Carter Wrenn January 4, 2012

While General Washington camped in New York waiting for the British to attack, fifty-six men in Philadelphia – who said they not only had a Creator but that He’d given them what they called inalienable rights – crossed the Rubicon and told the King of England they were done being colonists.   Then, years later,…

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Mitt Broccoli

By Gary Pearce January 4, 2012

Mitt Romney is like political broccoli: Republicans may have to swallow him, but they still don’t like the taste.   On CNN last night, James Carville cut through all the clutter and chatter with this dead-on analysis of what Iowa means:   – Romney will be the Republican presidential nominee.   – A lot of…

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The N&O Story

By Gary Pearce March 12, 2025

Once upon a time, there was a great and powerful newspaper: The News & Observer. Everybody…

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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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