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.

CarterWrenn200x271

Carter Wrenn

Gary Pearce 2024

Gary Pearce

Archives

Categories

Passion Gap

By Gary Pearce August 17, 2009

In politics as in sports, motivation often separates winners from losers.   In the health care debate now, conservatives and Republicans are far more motivated than Democrats and Obama supporters.   The passion factor has flipped since the election. Then, dispirited Republicans stayed home. Impassioned Democrats lined up at the polls for weeks at the…

Post Mortem

By Carter Wrenn August 16, 2009

The story of how the state budget got made and passed reads like a plot from a bad Gothic novel.   On page one Governor Perdue is sitting, looking at last year’s budget and dreaming of all the new things she is going to spend money on this year; she dreams and dreams then adds…

Good Luck Pearce Edwards

By Gary Pearce August 14, 2009

You’ll need it.   Governor Perdue is bringing you from Washington State to save her administration.  She may as well have painted a big target on your back.   At least you’re from here.   You’ll work for a governor who has a reputation for being tough on her staff – and erratic. You’ll be…

Worth the Risk?

By Carter Wrenn August 13, 2009

We’ve got a whale of a health care war going on – and it’s a pleasure to watch the Congressmen and Senators getting bearded in their own Town Hall Meetings.   In Round One President Obama charged out of his corner and whipped everyone in sight; then, in Round Two, he unexpectedly got rocked back…

Bev Needs a Dick Morris

By Gary Pearce August 12, 2009

No, not the Dick Morris you see on Fox who apparently came unhinged from working for the Clintons. The Dick Morris who rescued Bill Clinton’s presidency after 1994.   Governor Perdue needs somebody who will do what Morris did then: scour government agencies for a series of popular, bite-sized things she could do by executive…

Old Gene Autry Movies

By Carter Wrenn August 12, 2009

When I was nine years old my ten year old cousin Jennifer was an Amazon – she could hit a baseball, throw a football and run faster than any boy. When it came time to choose up sides there wasn’t any question whether she’d play with the boys. The only question was which side was…

ObamaScare

By Gary Pearce August 11, 2009

I’m not surprised Public Policy Polling found that only 54 percent on North Carolinians believe Obama was born in the United States, 26 percent said they do not believe he was and 20 percent aren’t sure.   The poll reflects a fundamental divide about Obama here and across America. It was there throughout the campaign,…

Drug Deal

By Gary Pearce August 11, 2009

Now, I may not have all the numbers exactly right on this one. It’s received some coverage, but not enough. So bear with me.   Apparently, the Obama administration cut a secret deal with Big Pharma under which the drug companies agreed to give up no more than $80 billion in prescription-drug savings for health-care…

A Bad Cycle

By Carter Wrenn August 11, 2009

My grandmother used to say one bad act leads to another. Here’s an example: Up on Wall Street the Masters of the Universe got so wrapped up in their own greed, like Midas, they ruined themselves. Then the dominos started falling: Congress stepped in to save them by giving them eight hundred billion dollars of…

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…

Faith in Politics

By Gary Pearce March 10, 2026

Jim Hunt would like James Talarico winning the Democratic primary in Texas. Like Talarico, the late…