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 Senate Primary

By Carter Wrenn October 11, 2021

83% of voters – in a poll – said Taliban is a terrorist group and said Trump shouldn’t have negotiated with Taliban. To elect Ted Budd, in an ad Trump says Budd’s always supported him – here’s a question Budd is bound to be asked: Do you think Taliban’s a terrorist group? Was Trump wrong…

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Fingers of Blame

By Carter Wrenn October 8, 2021

The Taliban is a terrorist group. Trump made a deal with Taliban to withdraw our soldiers from Afghanistan. It didn’t work out. Taliban took over. Trump roared it was Joe Biden’s fault. Biden, pointing fingers, shot back Trump signed the agreement with Taliban. It was Trump’s fault. Neither ever admitted he made a single mistake.…

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A Political Earthquake Rocks Biden and Trump

By Carter Wrenn October 6, 2021

John Bolton and I both supported Reagan in 1976; four years later when Reagan’s campaign emerged from the New Hampshire primary dead-broke John told me: The Congressional Club needs to do an independent campaign for Reagan. Puzzled, I asked: What’s an independent campaign? Americans for Reagan spent millions to help elect Reagan. Last February as…

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Handing an Enemy a Gift

By Carter Wrenn October 5, 2021

If you’d asked me, Leave Afghanistan? a year ago I’d have nodded, said, Yes. We had tanks, jets, helicopters, drones – and Taliban didn’t – but we botched the war. But it turns out escape was an illusion. It’s an old story. We fight an enemy. We hand our enemy a gift. And the chickens…

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The Republican World Today

By Carter Wrenn August 3, 2021

Eyes locked on a television set, sitting ramrod straight, lean-faced, Dan stared at Joe Biden – in the middle of a sentence Biden lost his train of thought, stammered, waving his hands, face blank. “He’s senile.” Turning, Dan glared at me. “Those two polls about Trump that John Bolton or you did were a joke.”…

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Echoing a Proverb

By Carter Wrenn August 2, 2021

Trump roars…rules…dictates who wins Republican primaries…that mantra bit the dust last week. John Bolton and I have been friends for 40 years; one of the last old-fashioned conservatives, he supported Reagan back in 1976, helped me in Jesse’s campaign a year later, left his law practice to serve in Reagan’s administration. Last February as we…

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The Swamp: Alive and Well

By Carter Wrenn July 26, 2021

The other day Mitch McConnell told Chuck Schumer that not one Republican Senator would vote to raise the debt ceiling…then in the next breath told Schumer how to raise the ceiling on his own without a single Republican vote. Schumer shot back: ‘This debt is Trump’s debt. It’s Covid debt. Americans pay their debts.’ To…

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The Deadliest Fruit

By Carter Wrenn July 21, 2021

Standing on stage at his rally in Ohio Trump bragged, ‘I won by a landslide’ – beside me, watching Trump’s video, my friend nodded. I leaned toward him. ‘Give me one fact that proves Trump won?’ He laughed. ‘Do I think the Democrats would steal an election…yes, in a minute.’ He didn’t need facts –…

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Reality Show Politics

By Carter Wrenn July 19, 2021

Love him or despise him you have to admit Donald Trump is a larger than life character, a law unto himself; before he became President in 2016 he changed parties five times; launching his first campaign for President – back in 2000 – on CNN he told Larry King, ‘I hate, hate abortion but I’m…

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Recessional

By Carter Wrenn November 11, 2024

The tumult and the shouting dies; The Captains and the Kings depart: Still stands Thine ancient…

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Mistakes and Miss-Takes

By Gary Pearce November 10, 2024

Bert Bennett of Winston-Salem, the legendary political godfather to Terry Sanford and Jim Hunt, had a…

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Don’t Give Up

By Gary Pearce November 6, 2024

This is bad. Bad for America and for the world. Bad for women, for immigrants, for…

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