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

Richard Moore: Stonewalling?

By Carter Wrenn February 22, 2008

Here’s an unusual political twist: Ten weeks before the Democratic primary the North Carolina State Employees Association, a politically powerful, mostly-Democratic group spent $30,000 on a newspaper ads attacking State Treasurer Richard Moore – a Democratic candidate for Governor. SEANC has a bone to pick with Treasurer Moore – who manages their $75 billion pension…

Read More

Goofy

By Carter Wrenn February 22, 2008

The debate on Raleigh’s City Council’s to stop people inside the beltline from tearing down older homes and building new ones has turned a bit goofy. For instance, consider the latest broadside from Mayor Meeker’s close ally and amigo Roger Koopman. Councilman Koopman says that building newer homes – he calls them ‘monstrous McMansions’ –…

Read More

Bad News Piles Up

By Gary Pearce February 22, 2008

Hillary Clinton did not turn the tide in Thursday night’s debate. Bill Clinton says she has to win both Texas and Ohio to win the nomination. Her campaign advisers are divided. Her spending and strategy are being criticized. So here is one more piece of bad news, looking back to Tuesday’s primary in Wisconsin: Obama…

Read More

MCain vs The Times

By Gary Pearce February 21, 2008

John McCain has enjoyed laudatory Mainstream Media coverage for so long it’s understandable he’s mad at The New York Times. The Times finally broke a story – which apparently has been an open secret among insiders for two months – about a potentially unethical relationship between McCain and a lobbyist eight years ago. The story…

Read More

The Great Scam

By Carter Wrenn February 21, 2008

Last election Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker and Rodger Koopman and Nancy McFarlane pummeled their opponents in North Raleigh for being cozy with developers. They said mushrooming growth was out of hand, the developer-villains were out of hand, and Council members Jessie Taliafero and Tommy Craven were bosom buddies with developers – they scared the willies…

Read More

Is Hillary Toast?

By Gary Pearce February 20, 2008

The Clinton campaign may not be dead, but it’s on life support. She could change the momentum by winning Texas and Ohio in two weeks. But it’s hard to change the delegate math. She would have to win 70 percent of the vote in the primaries left – including North Carolina. Who would have thunk…

Read More

The Charlotte Curse

By Gary Pearce February 19, 2008

People from Charlotte are obsessed with the so-called Charlotte Curse: the repeated failures of Charlotte mayors to be elected to statewide office: Eddie Knox, Harvey Gantt, Sue Myrick and Richard Vinroot. There is no curse – at least among voters. Poll after poll has shown they don’t mind a candidate from Charlotte. But there is…

Read More

Is Moore Less?

By Gary Pearce February 18, 2008

Richard Moore’s ad strategy doesn’t add up. Last week, his campaign pulled their ads off the air – after one public poll showed Beverly Perdue increasing her lead. The Moore campaign said the ads were pulled because the presidential campaign may soon dominate the air wars. That makes no sense. If that were so, wouldn’t…

Read More

The Media Primary

By Gary Pearce February 15, 2008

Hillary Clinton’s biggest constituency problem isn’t black voters or young voters or any other demographic group. It’s the media. She’s overwhelmingly losing the media primary. In fact, if you listen to the talking cableheads, you’d think her campaign is in total meltdown. Every primary, every caucus, every finance report, every change in her campaign, every…

Read More

Anything Goes…

By Carter Wrenn February 26, 2025

Back when Rod Blagojevich ran for governor of Illinois, Obama endorsed him and Trump gave his…

Read More

Does This Work?

By Gary Pearce February 23, 2025

Does a message about “workers,” “working families” and “working-class voters” really work for Democrats? Or does…

Read More

Out of Touch

By Gary Pearce February 20, 2025

I’ve resisted the temptation to rail every day about Trump’s cruelty, corruption and incompetence – and…

Read More