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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Politics to Make the Gilded Age Proud

By Carter Wrenn April 25, 2011

Republican House Leader Skip Stam, according to the newspaper, has introduced a new law limiting how much corporations with state contracts can give to politicians who grant the contracts. Surely a step in the right direction.   But, that said, while Representative Stam’s limiting donations to the Democratic Governor and folks in the Executive Branch…

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Goodbye, Brad?

By Gary Pearce April 25, 2011

Democrats are speculating that Congressman Brad Miller won’t run again in 2012.   He’s raised only about $30,000 this cycle – less than most any Democratic incumbent. And he has told friends he expects that – just as he drew himself a good district when he chaired the state Senate redistricting committee – the Republicans…

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Putting Pocketbooks First

By Gary Pearce April 22, 2011

Sometimes you have to rise above principle.   That’s what Rep. Leo Daughtry and several Republican House members did this week when they voted to weaken the tort reform bill.   Normally, tort reform is an article of faith for Republicans. It’s not only in their platforms, it’s in their genetic code.   But that…

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Bonehead Plays

By Gary Pearce April 21, 2011

It’s baseball season, and all across our land fans are enjoying hits, runs – and errors.   So it is in politics in North Carolina. Herewith, our Top 3 of the week.   Number 1, of course, has to be the pileup of errors by Governor Perdue and her staff over her whereabouts when the…

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Obama’s Missing Story

By Gary Pearce April 20, 2011

On the off-chance Republicans don’t nominate Donald Trump and hand him reelection, President Obama needs a better story.   Not a better story about where he was born or how he grew up. A story line that explains the times we live in and where he thinks we should go.   All great Presidents develop…

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$4.1 Million

By Carter Wrenn April 20, 2011

For years auto insurers have locked horns with Insurance Commissioners over raising car insurance premiums, but, now, Republican legislators are about to solve their problem – by getting the Insurance Commission out of the auto-insurers hair – a move the Commissioner says is dead certain sure to bring higher car insurance premiums.   The newspaper,…

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Off to the Races

By Gary Pearce April 20, 2011

Governor Perdue & Staff are wrapped up in an unnecessary kerfluffle over where she was Saturday when deadly tornados struck North Carolina. It turns out she was in Kentucky, maybe – or maybe not – at a horse race.   Which led one TAPster to look past the political flap to the economic possibilities of…

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Bridge to Nowhere

By Gary Pearce April 19, 2011

A TAPster calls attention to a bill before the General Assembly titled “Upgrade Security Services-Government Complex” and observes:   “It calls for x-ray machines and metal detectors for state buildings downtown. It calls for EMTs on staff.  This is all sounds really good.  But it allows up to 1 million dollars to cover the walkway…

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PR Disaster

By Gary Pearce April 19, 2011

I was out of town this weekend and had difficulty following news about the tornados and their aftermath. But that was nothing compared to the difficulty untangling the PR disaster surrounding Governor Perdue’s whereabouts Saturday.   An obliging TAPster summed it up this way:   “Governor Perdue should fire her entire communications team after their…

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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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