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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Trump’s $1 Billion Bribe

By Gary Pearce May 16, 2024

This one stands out – even in the never-ending flood of Donald Trump’s sins, crimes and scandals. But the national media hasn’t given it the same time and space as, say, President Biden’s age or swing-state polls. At Mar-a-Lago last month, The Washington Post reported, Trump told Big Oil executives that if they raised $1…

Deceit and Betrayal

By Carter Wrenn May 16, 2024

Hamas invaded Israel, slaughtered 1200 Israelis. War started. Israel struck back. Biden said his commitment to Israel was ‘ironclad.’ Israel bombed Gaza. People wailed about civilians dying. Biden told Israel, Stop. Refused to send Israel anymore bombs. He promised one thing. Then turned around and did the opposite. Deceit… followed by betrayal. We’re watching ancient…

Poll Numbers

By Carter Wrenn May 15, 2024

A political candidate lives in his or her own small world. Fitting a jigsaw puzzle together, figuring out how to win an election, everything a candidate knows goes back to what he sees, hears, likes, fears, what he’s lived through – and there’s only one way he can escape that small world. Poll numbers aren’t…

Character Hardly Matters

By Carter Wrenn May 14, 2024

We’ve never seen an election like this one. There was a time, long ago, when a candidate had to pass a ‘smell test’ – a character test – to get elected. If he flunked the test even people who agreed with him, shaking their heads, wouldn’t vote for him. We’re in an era now where…

Protestors and Tents

By Carter Wrenn May 13, 2024

I had no idea there were pro-Hamas groups on UNC’s campus  – so when protests erupted in Chapel Hill I wondered: Students? Or outside agitators? I read articles about the protests at Columbia, UCLA – the New York Times interviewed a dozen protestors: Every one was a student. A second article was different. As protestors…

Biden’s New Democracy

By Gary Pearce May 13, 2024

Joe Biden is a great President, but not a great communicator. He has a good story to tell. It goes like this: For more than 40 years, since 1980, the Republican Party – and, sad to say, too many Democrats – have taken the American people down the wrong road. They saddled us with trickledown…

We Have to Get Rid of Both

By Carter Wrenn May 9, 2024

Kristi Noem’s attractive. Long brown hair. Glossy lips. A MAGA superstar on Trump’s list of picks for Vice President. Last weekend she went on Face the Nation to sell her new book – sunk herself. In her book, telling a story about meeting North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Noem said, “I’m sure he underestimated…

Protest Politics

By Gary Pearce May 8, 2024

Two things have been true throughout American history: We love to protest, but we hate protesters. And bashing protesters is always good politics. Protesting is deep in our DNA. Protesters settled the country. The American Revolution was the ultimate, violent protest. Ever since, we’ve cycled through protest and repression. When abolitionists protested slavery, Southern slaveowners…

Straddling the Fence

By Carter Wrenn May 8, 2024

It used to be Democratic politicians marched in a phalanx behind Israel. Joe Biden did. For years. Now a new generation of Democrats smile at Hamas. Frown at Israel. And Biden, shifting with the political winds, has taken to straddling the fence. To be safe Israel has little choice but to eliminate Hamas – but…

We’re Moving to Substack

By Gary Pearce May 28, 2026

Carter Wrenn and I are moving to Substack. That’s where you’ll find our blogs in the…

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…