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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Au Revoir

By Gary Pearce May 30, 2011

I won’t be blogging for the next two weeks. We’re taking a family trip to France: a week in Paris and three days in Normandy.   I’m looking forward to visiting the D-Day beaches. My stepfather, Joe Dickerson of Murfreesboro, was in the first wave at Omaha Beach. He survived to fight on for months,…

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Merit Pay: A Great idea

By Gary Pearce May 28, 2011

Senate Republicans propose merit pay for teachers and state employees. What a terrific idea! But we shouldn’t stop there.   I’m thinking merit pay for legislators.   We could hold a statewide referendum after every session to let North Carolinians vote on how much legislators should be paid. Should get their full pay, half pay…

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Sponsored by Governor Perdue

By Carter Wrenn May 27, 2011

A scruffy-looking rock band comes on TV and the leaping in the air singer bawls, “Big bucks, quick bucks, mega bucks, jumbo bucks”…It was an ad for the Lottery Commission. Whose motto seems to be “Never Give a Sucker an Even Break.”     Back when the Democrats passed the lottery the legislature also passed…

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The GOP’s Lousy State Crop

By Gary Pearce May 27, 2011

A Tapster had these thoughts in response to my blog on the GOP’s lousy crop of presidential candidates:   “Look no further than the uncivil chaos on Jones Street to see weeds, chiggers and worms in the Republican crop there as well. GOP leaders have lost sight of their promised “jobs/economy” focus, and have let…

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Sarah Palin, the Movie

By Gary Pearce May 26, 2011

A New York Times story reporting that Sarah Palin is moving toward running for President has this intriguing paragraph: “The drumbeat intensified on Tuesday night when the conservative filmmaker Stephen K. Bannon was quoted on RealClearPolitics, a political news site, as saying that he was releasing a feature film he made with Ms. Palin’s acquiescence…

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Please Make a Deal

By Gary Pearce May 26, 2011

Please spare us. Put us out of our misery. Don’t make us go through a months-long courtroom regurgitation of all the tawdry details of John Edwards’ campaigns, marriage and affair.   Especially those of us who had anything to do with Edwards getting to where he could do so much damage and bring so much…

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Tilting

By Carter Wrenn May 26, 2011

Last election President Barack Obama won huge majorities among ‘early voters’so, naturally, now Republicans want less ‘early voting.’   Of course, no self-respecting legislator is going to put it quite that bluntly.   Representative Bert Jones is an example. He told the press he’s for limiting early voting because it will ‘shorten campaigns.’   Think…

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The GOP’s Lousy Crop

By Gary Pearce May 25, 2011

If the Republican Party was a farmer and his crop was the current field of presidential candidates, he’d be losing the farm.   How can that be? How can a party coming off a landslide election sweep, a party consumed by its hatred of President Obama, a party convinced it has the right ideas for…

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McCrory vs Perdue: Polls

By Carter Wrenn May 24, 2011

The North Carolina Free Enterprise Foundation has been studying the polls in the Governor’s race and after adding them all up and averaging them together it’s issued a report saying Pat McCrory leads Governor Perdue 50% to 38% – which is no surprise as the Governor’s been in hot water in one way or another…

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Education Governor

By Gary Pearce March 13, 2025

With a better General Assembly, Josh Stein could join Jim Hunt and Terry Sanford on North…

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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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