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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How’s This for a Scholarly Debate?

By Carter Wrenn December 14, 2005

Republican State House Leader Richard Morgan says Republican Representative Ed McMahan is a skunk. (Those weren’t Richard’s exact words; he actually said McMahon “is about the most hypocritical person I know. I don’t like him. I don’t like his character. He has no business being National Committeeman or being Republican nominee for a legislative seat…

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A + B = C

By Carter Wrenn December 14, 2005

Follow this logic: A. Mayor Meeker’s law firm has received $75,000 for work on the downtown Convention Center. B. Mayor Meeker’s law firm has – for years – represented the Triangle Transit Authority. C. As Mayor, Meeker supports spending $190 million to build the Convention Center and $800 million to build the TTA’s Light Rail…

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Convention Center Update

By Carter Wrenn December 14, 2005

The City Council is deciding what kind of tunnel to build to connect Mayor Meeker’s $190 million (and already $12.5 million over budget) Convention Center to an underground parking deck. The choices are a “no frills” $2.5 million tunnel. Or a “spruced up” $3.4 million version. Want to guess which won? The Council voted to…

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Around Town

By Carter Wrenn December 14, 2005

The City wants to sell 1.8 acres of land it owns downtown near Mayor Meeker’s Convention Center and Hotel. TMC Associates have already submitted a bid for the property. Duke Realty asked the City Council to extend the deadline for bids sixty days so it could bid too. The question was, would Mayor Meeker and…

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‘Smart Growth Democrats’

By Carter Wrenn December 8, 2005

About a week ago, I got a copy of an email from a group that calls itself ‘Smart Growth Democrats’ urging their supporters to support two candidates – Rev. Renee Bethea and Rev. Paul Anderson – for openings on the Raleigh Planning Commission. The third candidate, according to the ‘Smart Growth Democrats,’ is unqualified because…

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It Goes Beyond Jim Black

By Carter Wrenn December 8, 2005

Newly elected Democrat State Chairman – and Howard Dean supporter – Jerry Meek has sounded off on behalf of besieged House Speaker Jim Black. Meek says: “There have been no allegations of wrongdoing against Jim Black and it’s a shame Joe Sinsheimer [the Democratic consultant who set up www.Blackmustgo.com] put his time and energy into…

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The Ayatollahs Who Stole Christmas

By Gary Pearce December 8, 2005

Am I the only person who feels conflicted over this fight about how to celebrate Christmas – or, excuse me, the holidays? On the one hand, I’m congenitally offended by the Christian Ayatollahs like Called2Action here in Wake County. They claim to be on a mission from God to instruct the rest of us –…

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Will PR Solve Bush’s Problems?

By Gary Pearce December 6, 2005

Back when I was Governor Hunt’s press secretary in the 70s and 80s, I dreaded Monday morning Cabinet meetings. Every Cabinet secretary would report to the Governor on the wonderful things their departments were doing. There were no problems or foul-ups worth mentioning, of course. Every Monday, the consensus was the same: The people of…

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Mayor Meeker’s Folly – Part II – The Triangle Transit Authority

By Carter Wrenn November 29, 2005

Sometimes I think the folks over at the Triangle Transit Authority must be living in ‘Cloud Coo-Coo Land.’ This morning there’s a picture in the newspaper of a spiffy ‘mock-up’ they’ve built – sitting in the middle of a Raleigh warehouse – of the engine of the train they want to build to bring ‘lite-rail’…

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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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