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

Moore’s Health Care Offensive

By Gary Pearce September 13, 2007

One of our loyal blogger/readers passed along a link to Richard Moore’s website about George Bush denying health care to kids. He also noted that Moore ran a banner ad on the N&O’s webpage drawing visitors to the site. And he observes: “This is a hard-hitting site about denying healthcare to kids. Looks like Moore…

Up Or Out in Iraq

By Gary Pearce September 13, 2007

Just like the military surge in Iraq, the Democrats’ political surge against the war is falling short. This week, Democrats in Congress found that it’s hard to argue with a man as obviously brave, patriotic and dedicated as General Petraeus. It’s a lot easier to argue with the cowardly bumbler who sent Petraeus to Iraq…

Russ at Risk

By Gary Pearce September 12, 2007

The most vulnerable member of the Raleigh City Council this year may be Russ Stephenson. He’s facing a tough challenge in the at-large race. A lot of his old supporters are disaffected. And he carries a whiff of the elitism that is the Council’s biggest Achilles heel. Exhibit A: The debate in the Council last…

Forward, March on the City Council

By Gary Pearce September 12, 2007

One of the odder commentaries I’ve seen on the Raleigh City Council race came recently in the Independent Weekly. That’s not normally a pro-military rag, but the article seemed mighty impressed with the military records of the two candidates, one a Republican, running against Jessie Taliaferro. I suspect the attraction wasn’t the uniforms. In fact,…

Change This Channel

By Gary Pearce September 11, 2007

The images are depressingly familiar, six years after 9/11: Replays of the terrorist attacks on America Osama bin Laden, now mysteriously dark-bearded, on our TV screens again, threatening and taunting us still An impressively bemedaled and beribboned general warning Congress against a quick withdrawal from Iraq. Once again, we’re reminded of George Bush’s folly and…

Beverly Lake’s Revenge

By Gary Pearce September 10, 2007

What is it about Wake Forest and the public schools? Fifty years ago, the town north of Raleigh (then home of Wake Forest College) gave rise to Dr. I. Beverly Lake, the segregationist who ran against Terry Sanford for Governor in 1960. (When Lake was introduced at rallies, the speaker would say: “I don’t know…

Thompson Dramatized GOP Weakness

By Gary Pearce September 10, 2007

Fred Thompson is a big, imposing guy with a big, authoritative voice. Too bad he doesn’t have anything to say. All his voice is booming so far is empty platitudes. If he’s the Republicans’ next Ronald Reagan, they are in more trouble than I thought. Reagan had a message: Strengthen America. Tear down this wall.…

In Defense of Incentives

By Gary Pearce September 6, 2007

All the candidates for Governor – Democrats and Republicans – now say they support Governor Easley’s veto of the Goodyear incentives bill. Are incentives that politically radioactive? I’m not sure they are. But the supporters of incentives are doing a damn poor job of making the case. The way to win the argument is to…

An Inconvenient Truth

By Carter Wrenn September 6, 2007

There are hucksters in just about every business. But science is sort of a, modern sacred cow. Scientists are generally accorded to respect once reserved for Popes and Bishops when it comes to the purity of their motives. So it comes as a shock that one of the corner-stone scientific ‘proofs’ of Global Warming turns…

“Conservative Successes”?

By Gary Pearce April 23, 2026

Senator Phil Berger was out of touch with voters in his district – and suffered the…

Rise and Fall

By Gary Pearce April 21, 2026

A reassuring lesson from our trip to Germany and Czechia is that dictators, despots and tyrants…

Rolling Down the Elbe

By Gary Pearce April 19, 2026

Gwyn and I just returned from a 12-day journey through 1,000 years of history in Germany…