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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Republican Redistricting Hypocrisy

By Gary Pearce April 6, 2006

Three Republican House members from Wake County waxed indignant this week about Speaker Jim Black. According to The News & Observer, the Three Musketeers “rolled out a list of reforms Wednesday that they say would limit the speaker’s power and open up how the chamber operates.” “North Carolina desperately needs to transform our state government…

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School Bond Supporters Need to Listen Up

By Gary Pearce March 30, 2006

Some supporters of the Wake County school bonds are unhappy with my blog – which was reprinted in The News & Observer Sunday – saying the bond issue is dead with the voters. I’m not their problem. Their problem is the voters. And – more specifically – their problem is a failure to realize that…

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Morality, Politics and John Edwards

By talkingaboutpoliticsadmin March 27, 2006

“The Democratic Party is focused on filling the void of moral leadership in America.” – John EdwardsNews and Observer The question, when a politician starts talking about morality, should be – is his real interest morality or politics? If the answer is he discovered “morality” through a poll, there’s not much more you need to…

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What Now for Capital News?

By talkingaboutpoliticsadmin March 27, 2006

The McClatchey chain, which bought The News & Observer from the Daniels family some years back, now has bought the entire Knight-Ridder chain. Knight-Ridder’s biggest paper in North Carolina is The Charlotte Observer. As they always do, the corporate execs promise that this will mean nothing less than a golden age for readers. Bull. The…

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Morality, Politics and John Edwards

By Carter Wrenn March 24, 2006

“The Democratic Party is focused on filling the void of moral leadership in America.” – John EdwardsNews and Observer The question, when a politician starts talking about morality, should be – is his real interest morality or politics? If the answer is he discovered “morality” through a poll, there’s not much more you need to…

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1984 in Raleigh

By Gary Pearce March 24, 2006

If you haven’t seen the hilariously clumsy censorship job that the North Carolina Department of Labor tried to do on a newspaper story, click here to read about it. Not long ago, my daughter’s seventh-grade class read George Orwell’s 1984. After she told me about it, I borrowed her copy and reread it. Winston’s job…

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The Election System is Rigged – Against the Voters

By Gary Pearce March 23, 2006

Apparently we Democrats have lost our best hope of beating Congressman Robin Hayes. Iraq war vet Tim Dunn has withdrawn from the field of battle. So the odds are that – once again – 100 percent of North Carolina’s congressional delegation will return to Washington next year. Just as – nationally – some 98 percent…

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Will Jim Black Survive?

By Carter Wrenn March 23, 2006

There are two words that strike fear in a politician’s heart: Grand Jury. Especially when they appear in a newspaper headline like this: ‘Top Black Aide Appears before Grand Jury’ (News and Observer, March 15). Which is what happened last Wednesday in Raleigh. Why were two of Democratic Speaker Jim Black’s aides testifying before a…

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Follow the Money

By Carter Wrenn March 23, 2006

Not too long ago, Morrisville gave Chinese computer giant Lenovo a million dollar tax subsidy to get it to move its plant there from the Research Triangle Park. The theory was the jobs were worth the million dollars. Guess what? The News and Observer reported (March 17), “Lenovo, the Chinese company that bought IBM’s PC…

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Another Story from Politics

By Carter Wrenn December 24, 2024

Watergate sunk Nixon. Jimmy Carter was elected. Two years later Jesse Helms ran for reelection. In…

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Unhappy Holidays?

By Gary Pearce December 24, 2024

We Americans are angry this Christmas. 77 million voters were so angry they elected Trump. 75…

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A Surprise

By Carter Wrenn December 23, 2024

‘You tell a lot of good stories about Reagan, like his saying a prayer for the…

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