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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Dems Have $$, Too

By Gary Pearce October 31, 2011

Now Republicans are whining about elections being for sale.   A couple of weeks ago, Democrats were whining about Art Pope “buying” North Carolina. I suggested they stop whining and start winning by finding their own deep pockets.   It looks like the deep pockets found them.   John Frank reports in the N&O that…

Responding to Carter

By Gary Pearce October 30, 2011

Now Carter’s gone to meddling. So I feel compelled to depart from my preference to avoid writing about clients.   His October 24 blog, “The Vanishing Cuts,” takes aim at DHHS Secretary Lanier Cansler – again. His collateral targets include people who run and live in adult-care homes (my clients).   Here’s the other side…

Cy Lynn

By Gary Pearce October 29, 2011

The Hunt Alumni lost one of our friends last week. Cy Lynn died. Here’s the N&O obit.   Cy was public affairs director at DOT in Hunt I and II. He handled paid media in Hunt’s 1980 reelection campaign. He went on to work for the community colleges and then the Chamber of Commerce in…

Sound Familiar?

By Carter Wrenn October 28, 2011

The more things change…the more they stay the same.   The European Union has come up with a master-plan to cure the Greek debt crisis and avoid financial Armageddon.   The European Bankers are going to eat half (instead of all) of their bad Greek loans. Then the Euro-Union is going to set up a…

Finding a Dark Lining

By Gary Pearce October 28, 2011

The stock market goes up 340 points. It may go up more in October than in any month in 25 years. It even looks like the economy is growing rather than going into another recession.   Great news, right?   No. The L.A. Times finds the rat turd in the Dow Jones Index sugar bowl:…

A Sure-Fire Way…

By Carter Wrenn October 27, 2011

It’s a near-perfect metaphor: We’ve got Congress in debt up to its eyeballs and the President’s cutting the cost of government subsidized student loans.   It’s classic. And unstoppable.   Just before the election Obama’s going to make millions of new friends: He’s going to lower their student loan debts by increasing the government debts…

David Brooks Is Wrong

By Gary Pearce October 27, 2011

A highlight of reading The New York Times on Tuesdays and Fridays is David Brooks’ columns. He’s intelligent, interesting and insightful.   But he’s all wrong (“The Fighter Fallacy”) when he says President Obama is all wrong to come out swinging against Republicans. He can’t win that way, Brooks says.   Yes, he can.  …

Birth of the Boaters

By Gary Pearce October 27, 2011

A Republican friend tells me that Florida Senator Marco Rubio is the GOP’s star of the future: the perfect 2012 running and/or perfect candidate for President in 2016.   So – to go with the Birther movement that questions whether President Obama is really from around here – Democrats need to launch a Boater movement…

Debating Debates

By Gary Pearce October 26, 2011

Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post opined that debates are “no way to pick a President.” I beg to differ.   Her opinion is rooted in a media misunderstanding of what voters look for in debates. She wrote: “Now we judge a candidate’s worthiness for public office as much according to his stage performance as…

Political Shots Fired

By Gary Pearce April 28, 2026

The political sniping began even as chaos still reigned at the White House Correspondents Dinner. My…

Obama 48-Trump 39

By Gary Pearce April 26, 2026

A new nationwide poll shows that, if they could run against each other in 2028, Barack…

“Conservative Successes”?

By Gary Pearce April 23, 2026

Senator Phil Berger was out of touch with voters in his district – and suffered the…