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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No Tears for Ted

By Gary Pearce September 11, 2009

  One of the great falsehoods peddled by Jim Hunt-haters – and repeated in a recent comment on this site – is that he cried after Ted Kennedy’s speech to the 1980 convention.   Sorry, haters. It didn’t happen.   I was there. Standing beside Hunt on the floor of Madison Square Garden during Kennedy’s…

Obama Speaks

By Carter Wrenn September 10, 2009

Watching President Obama give a speech is sort of like it used to be watching Reggie Jackson play baseball – I’m no Yankees fan but at times watching Reggie (like in the World Series game when he hit three homeruns) could be pretty amazing.   Plus, President Obama has guts, which is about the rarest…

The Cost of Health Care

By Gary Pearce September 10, 2009

One of the smartest people I know in the health-care field is Bill Atkinson, CEO of WakeMed.   Not long ago, he made a point that gets little attention in today’s debate: That most American families – no matter how well off – are one major illness from financial ruin.   The debate seems to…

Bev’s Money Dilemma

By Gary Pearce September 9, 2009

  Governor Perdue has plenty of education-budget headaches – like whether local school districts are laying off teachers.   Getting less attention is the near-panic among health and human-services advocates over draconian state budget cuts. Especially with North Carolina facing swine-flu fears, an aging population and serious mental-health needs.   Budget reform – whatever that…

Knuckleheads

By Gary Pearce September 8, 2009

  I had no idea what a powerful and persuasive speaker President Obama is.   According to Tom Fetzer & Co., if Obama gets the chance to address America’s schoolchildren, he will turn them into socialists.   Wow.   Especially with a subversive message like: study hard, stay in school and set goals for success.…

Senator Wicker?

By Gary Pearce September 4, 2009

One Big Name mentioned as a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate should be taken seriously: Dennis Wicker.   Wicker reminds me of Jim Hunt circa 1992. Wicker has grown since an election defeat eight years earlier. The lessons from that loss – plus his experience in the private sector – could make him a stronger candidate…

Storm Clouds Over Democrats

By Carter Wrenn September 3, 2009

President Obama swept into the White House not riding a pro-Obama wave but riding an anti-Bush tide. Now, Bush is gone and after nine months of marching straight left Obama’s setting off tides of his own and his popularity is vanishing faster than any newly elected President since the dawn of the Age of Polling.…

Crafty Obama

By Gary Pearce September 3, 2009

One of the many brilliant (that means “Democratic”) readers of this blog has offered what could be a spot-on analysis of Obama’s new strategy on health care. I share it with you in full:   “He has leaned back and relaxed and let Mitch McConnell and the screaming chorus shout and work themselves into a…

Framing the Debate

By Gary Pearce September 1, 2009

Supporters of health-care reform better hope President Obama’s vacation gave him time to come up with some brilliant strategy. Because he’s losing control of the debate.   The vaunted Obama message machine from the campaign is grinding its gears. They have not come up with a winning way to frame the debate.   I thought…

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…