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 Mean Ole News and Observer

By Carter Wrenn December 30, 2008

People have been dying in our state mental hospitals for lack of care; our parole system is so broken criminals on parole have murdered 580 people – and, now, Governor Easley says, at the end of his term, that it’s a shame the mean ole News and Observer hasn’t treated him ‘nicer.’ The governor puts…

Republicans and Ostriches

By Carter Wrenn December 30, 2008

The smoke’s clearing from the election and the voter statistics tell a simple straightforward story: Four years ago African-Americans were 19% of the voters – this year they were 25%. Obama’s campaign said it was going to turn out 250,000 new African-American voters – and darn near did it. Thanks to Obama’s relentless ‘ground game’…

Fathers and Sons

By Gary Pearce December 26, 2008

For Christmas, I usually ask for books. And I get some unexpected pleasures. Unexpected this year was Jacob Weisberg’s The Bush Tragedy, which I started reading Christmas night and found captivating. I hadn’t read it before, because I had expected predictable Bush-bashing. But Weisberg – who makes the perceptive observation that journalistic insight often comes…

Blue Christmas

By Gary Pearce December 24, 2008

A Blue Christmas is a Merry Christmas for Democrats. Not so much for Republicans who are sure the end of the world is nigh. So let me offer a note of hope and cheer. Yes, the news is bad. Retail sales are down. Home sales are down. Car sales are so down Toyota is losing…

Driving Off the Cliff

By Gary Pearce December 23, 2008

George Bush may have screwed up everything else in eight years, but even he knew better than to drive America’s automobile industry into bankruptcy at Christmas. Not so with Tennessee Senator Bob Corker and some of his Republican colleagues in Congress. All I have to say to them is: Keep driving, boys. Because – if…

Obama’s War

By Carter Wrenn December 22, 2008

Don’t those words have a startling ring – after all, Democrats loathe wars (and instead, at least, these days in Congress, seem to have fallen in love with bailing out Wall Street billionaires). But, now, the Democrats have a war of their own – and they’ll own it lock, stock and barrel the moment Obama…

No Southern Accents?

By Gary Pearce December 22, 2008

The Washington Post said last week that the one group largely unrepresented in Obama’s key team is Southerners. As Gomer Pyle would say, “Surprise, surprise!” The story didn’t mention that the official voice of the White House will have a Southern accent. That’s Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, who grew up in Alabama, went to N.C.…

Pay to Pick

By Gary Pearce December 19, 2008

The political world is in a frenzy of moral dudgeon over the alleged high crimes and moral misdemeanors of Governor Rob Blagoyevich. The nerve of him! Wanting to make money off the appointment of a new Senator! Besides, get a load of his hair. Then I read a story about Governor David Patterson of New…

Bully Pulpit

By Gary Pearce December 18, 2008

The rumor this week has been that Governor-elect Perdue will appoint her Cabinet Friday. Other rumors have it that she’s still having trouble filling some key positions, like DENR and DHHS. Dumping the whole load at once is a different media strategy from past Governors. Most rolled out their appointments one by one. Each secretary…

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…