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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Bowled Over

By Gary Pearce December 28, 2011

Lisa Piercy was right when she tweeted: “There are too many bowl games.”   I figured that out as I sat freezing in temperatures in the 40s and winds in the 30s at the Belk Bowl. (When I tweeted about where I was, a friend replied: “Where are you sitting: Men’s wear, shoes, jewelry???”)  …

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A Barn Raising

By Carter Wrenn December 28, 2011

The other day in the newspaper, below an article about unemployment, there was another article headlined “NCSU chancellor gets ‘a great venue.’”   Now, someone thought very carefully about the choice of that word ‘venue.’   North Carolina State University has a problem. Because building a new $3.5 million house for its chancellor in the…

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Jobbed

By Gary Pearce December 28, 2011

Governor Perdue has been taking heat from Republicans for allegedly breaking the law by releasing federal job numbers.   Which raises two questions:   Since when did Republicans get so concerned about protecting federal-government information?   Was it since the numbers were good for the Governor?  

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Once we knew…but not anymore

By Carter Wrenn December 27, 2011

The President of Afghanistan’s in a fix: The U.S. Army, he says, hasn’t won the war so there’s no peace to give his people the “individual personal security” they need.   Half a century ago, in four years, we crushed Hitler’s armies and occupied his country and there was peace, but, today, it appears whatever…

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The Grinch Who Stole Gingrich

By Gary Pearce December 27, 2011

It’s going to be too funny if Newt Gingrich, who took negative politics to a new level in the 1990s, is undone now by negative politics. That’s karma.   If his swoon continues in Iowa, the only way Iowans can pull off their quadrennial surprise is to give a victory to Ron Paul or Rick…

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Laser-Guided Missiles

By Carter Wrenn December 26, 2011

We defeated Libya with laser-guided missiles that, NATO said, never ever blew up anyone but the bad guys. It sounded too good to be true – and it was. Now, NATO admits, those laser-guided missiles killed a fair number of civilians – which isn’t a shock. But does leave one loose end.   It may…

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Berger’s Bullying

By Gary Pearce December 26, 2011

It didn’t take Republican legislative leaders long to learn the high-handed ways that they used to complain about when Marc Basnight and Tony Rand were running the Senate. Witness Senator Berger’s threat to wreak vengeance on six cities that appealed the legislature’s curbs on involuntary annexations.   There’s just something about being in power, especially…

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Pure Spin

By Carter Wrenn December 26, 2011

Last month, the state’s economy didn’t grow and create new jobs but unemployment went down. How is that possible?   Well, look at it this way: Imagine you’re a politician running for reelection and you’re praying your policies work and unemployment drops but the Labor Department just insists on putting out pesky figures that make…

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The Last Word

By Carter Wrenn December 24, 2011

After he read the stories in the News and Observer about the hospital war in Raleigh between Wake Med and UNC Health Care, a retired health care administrator wrote in the newspaper that years ago Mayo Clinic founder William J. Mayo had said, “The best interest of the patient is the only interest to be…

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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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