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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The Three Reverends

By Carter Wrenn July 14, 2010

The Right Honorable (and Colorful) Reverend William Barber (head of the local NAACP) has laid the political birch-wood to the Italians on the School Board again; the Reverend Barber, who’s been holding demonstrations and protests lampooning the Italians, climbed up on his soap-box at his latest protest and announced the Italians are taking Raleigh back…

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Finding Hope in Numbers

By Gary Pearce July 14, 2010

Ever since Governor Perdue’s brief honeymoon ended, public polls have brought her nothing but bad news. So her advisers not surprisingly found a silver lining in Public Policy Polling’s numbers on her and the Highway Patrol.   But don’t get carried away.   Last week’s poll found that 67 percent of North Carolinians have a…

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Missing Rand?

By Gary Pearce July 13, 2010

Democrats are worried about losing the State Senate this year – especially without Tony Rand to run their caucus campaigns.   After Democrats came within one seat of losing the Senate in 1994, Rand and Marc Basnight build a high-performance operation. They hired good people, did good polling and spent money based on cold-eyed calculations…

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Oily Burr

By Gary Pearce July 12, 2010

According to a recent N&O headline, “Burr says oil ads won’t ruffle feathers.”   Senator Burr has to say that. I doubt he believes it.   Two years ago, Elizabeth Dole’s campaign didn’t worry about independent ads attacking her. That’s why she’s former Senator Dole today.   The latest ad attacking Burr – showing an…

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Republican Hunt

By Gary Pearce July 9, 2010

John Davis, late of NCFREE has an interesting take (one I like, obviously) on Jim Hunt in his recent report.   Davis says the Republican Party in North Carolina has failed to produce a political leader as skilled as Hunt. He identifies Hunt’s key strengths as pragmatism and persuasiveness.   Davis recounts his meeting with…

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Rules of the Road

By Gary Pearce July 8, 2010

Governor Perdue’s Highway Patrol news conference was better than it read. You can watch the whole thing here.   But she better hope her tough talk solves the Patrol’s problems. Because it obviously didn’t solve her media – and political – problems.   It’s never good when the Page 1 photos are of you, hands…

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When Reporters Are the News

By Gary Pearce July 7, 2010

It’s Reporter Versus Reporter. UNC-TV versus UNC Radio. And the best drama of the legislative session.   Senator Fletcher Hartsell’s inspired idea to subpoena UNC-TV’s unaired Alcoa story stirred up great mischief. It: Put Alcoa in an unwelcome spotlight Put UNC-TV in an unwelcome spotlight Put a UNC radio reporter at odds with a UNC-TV.…

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Calling UNC-TV to the Stand

By Gary Pearce July 6, 2010

I heard that Jim Goodmon of WRAL was so incensed by the legislative subpoena of WUNC-TV that he called Erskine Bowles – and urged him to fight it.   Of course, given the just-completed state budget, UNC was in no position to defy the legislature.   Both UNC-TV and the First Amendment probably will survive.…

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Orange Water

By Carter Wrenn July 2, 2010

Unless you happen to subscribe to the Asheville Citizen Times, you probably missed this article by columnist John Boyle about North Carolina Democratic Party Chairman David Young:   Citizens Times.com May 27, 2010   Time for David Young to do the right thing John Boyle COLUMNIST   Really, David?     I can’t believe how…

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Always Wrong

By Carter Wrenn February 7, 2025

It’s a kind of mystery – will hitting Canada and Mexico with tariffs land us in…

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Broken Egg Promise

By Gary Pearce February 7, 2025

Waffle House shows Trump lied – and broke his biggest promise. He promised, “when I win,…

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Who Pays the Price

By Carter Wrenn February 5, 2025

Wiley lifted his cell phone, held it in the air in front of him, pushed a…

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