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 Wrong Message

By Carter Wrenn September 23, 2010

Gary, doggone it, it’s like ‘déjà vu all over again’ – here you are [see below] attacking me for a TV ad. Can’t a fellow even oppose the Ground Zero mosque without being called a bigoted skunk? And how did the folks opposing the mosque become the wicked, hard-hearted ‘dividers’ as opposed to the Iman…

Carter’s ‘Victory Mosque’ Ad

By Gary Pearce September 23, 2010

Birds fly, fish swim and Carter Wrenn pushes the envelope to the edge. That’s what they do.   Like him or not, Carter will boldly go where others fear to tread.   He did it for Jesse Helms. He did it when he and Helms had a falling-out and Carter challenged the senator to disclose…

Jimmy Superior

By Gary Pearce September 22, 2010

Jimmy Carter’s latest gaffe – that his post-Presidency was “superior” to other ex-Presidents – struck me as deeply revealing.   Carter’s work since leaving office 30 years ago has been both admirable and annoying – just like the man and his Presidency.   If you weren’t there, it’s hard to realize what Carter meant when…

Politics North Carolina Style

By Carter Wrenn September 21, 2010

The state can’t afford to pay to care for mental patients, or elderly Medicaid patients who need in-home medical care; tuition is going up at the state universities and even though she raised taxes a billion dollars Governor Perdue is telling us we’re broke – so it comes as a surprise to hear state government’s…

JFK, NC and Me

By Gary Pearce September 21, 2010

The N&O had a letter today and a guest column last week about John Kennedy’s campaign visit to North Carolina 50 years ago – September 1960.   I had my own brush with history that day. Kennedy was campaigning with Terry Sanford, who was running for governor.  Sanford had broken with most of the North…

The Republican Divide

By Gary Pearce September 20, 2010

In retrospect, the Republican primary for the 13th Congressional District – Bernie Reeves versus Bill Randall – was a microcosm of what’s happening in the Republican Party nationally.   It’s the Golfers versus the Grizzlies, the Country Clubbers versus the churchgoers, the K Street crowd versus the cul-de-sac crowd, the Establishment versus the pitchfork-carriers, the…

Sarah and John

By Gary Pearce September 17, 2010

Vanity Fair magazine has a scathing profile of Sarah Palin that sounds eerily familiar.     Below are some of the article’s characterizations of Palin. I ask you: What other well-known political figure does this sound like?   “Erratic behavior and a pattern of lying…”   “Sarah Palin’s connection with her audience is complete.”  …

Nimrud’s Earrings

By Carter Wrenn September 16, 2010

President Obama says the war’s over but according to the newspaper an odd problem has cropped up in Iraq:  A 4,000 year old statue of King Entemena of Lagash has vanished. In fact it turns out over our seven years in Iraq a lot of antiquities have disappeared.   Now when it comes to plunder…

Barking Up the Wrong Tree

By Gary Pearce September 16, 2010

There’s an old cartoon that showed an owner fussing at his dog: “Bad dog, Rover. Don’t ever do that again, Rover. You know better, Rover. Bad dog, Rover.”   Then the cartoon showed what the dog was hearing: “Blah, blah, Rover, blah, blah, blah, Rover, blah, blah, Rover.”   I’m afraid that’s all the voters…

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…