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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In Iraq in 2012?

By Carter Wrenn July 13, 2007

I asked a friend who is supporting one of the Republican candidates for President, What’s he going to do when the surge fails? He said, Well, that’s simple. Here’s what’s going to happen. If the surge works Washington will bring the troops home. And if it fails Washington will bring the troops home. Now, I’ve…

Fred Thompson on the Rise

By Carter Wrenn July 13, 2007

There’s a new poll out from Public Policy Polling, the Democratic pollsters in Raleigh. There’s not much change in the Democratic or Republican primaries for Governor. Beverly Perdue and Bill Graham still lead as they have since last fall. (And, in the Republican primary, a whopping 60% of the voters are still undecided). There is…

Another Black Eye for the School Board?

By Carter Wrenn July 12, 2007

Ten months ago, a local developer signed a contract to buy thirty-two acres in Wake County (for $2.5 million). He purchased the land on June 6. And sold it the next day for $3.3 million. In other words, he contracted to buy the land, then found a second buyer, then flipped it and made a…

Euphemisms

By Carter Wrenn July 12, 2007

As just about everyone knows no one is more adroit than a politician when it comes to using a euphemism to hide bad news. The Mayor and his two liberal allies on the City Council – Russ Stephenson and Thomas Crowder – have a euphemism they’re using for raising taxes: Impact Fees (The News and…

The Affair dé Haircut

By Carter Wrenn July 11, 2007

At first when the press (no doubt with help from his Democratic opponents) revealed John Edwards paid $400 for a haircut in Beverly Hills, Edwards blithely passed the buck saying his staff got ‘that guy’ to cut his hair. He didn’t know how much it cost. He didn’t even know ‘that guys’ name. Well, it…

Zigzags

By Carter Wrenn July 11, 2007

John McCain may be right by removing four top staffers to resurrect his sagging presidential campaign. But it’s difficult not to suspect McCain’s deeper problem may be McCain. After the 2000 election, Senator McCain became a sort of maverick Republican in the Senate, co-sponsoring the Kennedy-McCain Immigration Bill, brokering deals with Democrats on judges and…

Black: 63 Months

By Carter Wrenn July 11, 2007

This morning a federal judge sentenced former House Speaker Jim Black to 63 months in prison. But the scandals that have rocked Democrats in the State House may not be over. Monday federal prosecutors revealed that Black took $500,000 from a lobbyist and put the money in his campaign account in 2000. Of course, what…

Taking a Break

By Gary Pearce July 10, 2007

This blog will tilt rightward for the next two weeks, because we’re taking a family vacation to Italy, and I won’t be blogging. I’ve never been to Italy. So I consider this an experiment to see how I like a country that features universal health care, two-hour midday breaks and an average of 41 vacation…

Fundraising Revolution

By Gary Pearce July 6, 2007

Campaign finance reform is happening. Not because of new laws, but because of the Internet. That’s the real story behind Barack Obama’s phenomenal fundraising totals in the second quarter. A lot of the money came in online. He built a base of hundreds of thousands of small contributors – nearly all of whom can give…

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…