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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A Master Class

By Gary Pearce September 12, 2024

Kamala Harris could have done one thing better Tuesday night. Otherwise, it was a master class in debate prep and performance. She seemed nervous answering the first question: “When it comes to the economy, do you believe Americans are better off than they were four years ago?” She began, “So, I was raised as a…

Smackdown

By Gary Pearce September 11, 2024

The split screens said it all, even when the mics were muted. Trump was angry, unhinged and afraid to look Kamala Harris in the eye. Harris was in command all night. It was the most dominating performance in the history of presidential debates since JFK won the very first one in 1960. It was the…

An Eccentric

By Carter Wrenn September 11, 2024

Spotting a dead whale lying on the beach in Hyannis Port, eccentric, he ran to get his chainsaw, sawed off the whale’s head, tied the head to the roof of his car, drove five hours back to his home in New York. Another time, driving thru upstate New York, spotting a dead bear cub lying…

The Debate Tonight, A Hard Counter Punch

By Carter Wrenn September 10, 2024

Cocaine kingpin Jaime Davidson handed ‘Bam Bam’ Lawrence a .357 Magnum pistol, told him to go rob a rival; Bam Bam shot an undercover policeman – investigating drug kingpins – in the head during the robbery, killed him. Jaime Davidson got life in prison – for providing the pistol, ordering the robbery. While Trump was…

Better Days

By Carter Wrenn September 9, 2024

On stage at his rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, angry, lips set, tearing into Kamala Harris, J. D. Vance snapped, ‘She can go to hell.’ Meantime, over on Truth Social, Trump retweeted a meme showing Harris standing beside Hillary Clinton, above the line ‘Funny how blowjobs impacted both their careers differently.’ Most of us remember the…

Do TV Ads Work?

By Gary Pearce September 8, 2024

Josh Stein’s ads about Mark Robinson certainly worked. They worked because they defined Robinson early in the race and because they used the most devastating weapon in politics: Robinson himself on camera saying, “abortion in this country’s not about protecting the lives of mothers – it’s about killing a child because you weren’t responsible enough…

One Word

By Carter Wrenn September 6, 2024

Sitting in a crowded restaurant listening to two friends – one calling Kamala Harris a ‘ninny,’ the other calling Trump a ‘blowhard’ – it struck me: We’ve got a rare election on our hands – issues hardly matter. What matters? Character. Words like: Ninny. Blowhard. Braggart. Fool. These days voters march in tribes: Republicans vote…

Mark Robinson’s Slipping

By Carter Wrenn September 4, 2024

After Mark Robinson announced for governor, he led Josh Stein in polls. Then Stein pulled even. Then Robinson trailed by five. In a poll last week Robinson trailed by fourteen. Some folks say the problem’s Robinson’s stand on abortion. And, yes, that could hurt him. But when Congressman George Holding got attacked by Democrats for…

Something You Don’t See Often

By Carter Wrenn September 2, 2024

You don’t see many people like James Lankford – getting along with both sides in a divided world he tells people ‘Your faith should affect everything you do. It’s how I treat my wife. It’s how I treat strangers. Every person’s created in the image of God. They have value and worth. As I joke…

Getting the News

By Gary Pearce March 13, 2026

How do you get your news? Our statewide poll asked North Carolina voters what their primary…

MAGA-gator

By Gary Pearce March 12, 2026

Thom Tillis and Phil Berger fed the MAGA alligator. Then it ate them. Thomas Mills wrote…

Enough is Enough

By Gary Pearce March 11, 2026

Exactly 80 years ago, in 1946, Republicans took control of Congress with a simple message: “Had…