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 Election: Trump Makes a Miscalculation

By Carter Wrenn March 17, 2020

You hear the words spoken every day, over and over, on CNN and Fox News: We’re more polarized than ever before. And on Facebook and Twitter President Trump – who sees igniting his ‘base’ as a key to defeating Biden – pours fuel on the fires of polarization. But there’s one wayward fact: Polarization isn’t…

Around the Next Bend

By Carter Wrenn March 10, 2020

Punching away after watching the Democrats debate in Las Vegas Trump tweeted Michael Bloomberg “was stumbling, bumbling and grossly incompetent” – punching back Bloomberg started putting up billboards around Trump’s rallies saying, “Donald Trump Eats Burnt Steak. Mike Bloomberg Likes His Medium Rare.” George Washington said no to being crowned king. At the end of…

Two Vices

By Carter Wrenn March 9, 2020

Politicians see a block of voters and think, Let’s give them something and they’ll vote for us. We just saw one example: African-Americans made up half the voters in South Carolina’s Democratic Primary and a third of the voters in North Carolina’s primary and before the first vote was cast Joe Biden announced he’d give…

Enough for One Day

By Carter Wrenn March 6, 2020

The first news story I read (on the internet) showed Trump tweeting out a video of a bearded Hell’s Angel-type riding a motorcycle cussing out an older man driving an SUV beside him, using the f-word seven times. The next story was the Washington Post jumping all over Trump but not for the f-word –…

Rolling Downhill

By Carter Wrenn March 6, 2020

The first minister, speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast, looked across the room full of Washington politicians who’d been eye-gouging one another since the day Trump took office and made a suggestion: Why not try a bit of “love your enemies.” President Trump stood up next and spoke. I don’t know that I agree with…

Another Associated Press Fact Check

By Carter Wrenn January 28, 2020

I’d like to see President Trump take the Associated Press head on. In another ‘Fact Check’ the AP said President Trump lied three times at the Davos Forum in Switzerland. At a press conference, Trump said he’d ‘saved HBCU’s’ (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). The AP called that ‘a big stretch.’ It said HBCU’s were…

Who lied? And why?

By Carter Wrenn January 27, 2020

This is a test. Read that. Leaning across the table Judge Gavin handed Mike and Vic a newspaper article: At the impeachment trial Trump’s lawyer said the House Judiciary Committee denied Trump the fundamental “right to cross examine witnesses” and that same day, before the sun set, the Associated Press reported “That’s false.” Who’s lying?…

Impeachment Polls

By Carter Wrenn January 7, 2020

Without a murmur of doubt a Republican pollster sitting on the dais at a forum announced, Impeachment is bringing Independent voters into Trump’s camp – and the Democratic pollster sitting beside him shot-back, Just look at the numbers. Trump’s toast. Thinking ‘neither can see the forest through the trees’ I went to Real Clear Politics…

Independence and Bullying

By Carter Wrenn January 6, 2020

Donald Trump epitomizes an American trait: Independence. Like Trump or loathe him, he’s his own man, stands on his own two feet, and has the courage to fight all corners. So how did Trump come to be so unpopular? Trump also epitomizes another American trait: To win he bullies and boasts, but when Trump tweets…

Getting the News

By Gary Pearce March 13, 2026

How do you get your news? Our statewide poll asked North Carolina voters what their primary…

MAGA-gator

By Gary Pearce March 12, 2026

Thom Tillis and Phil Berger fed the MAGA alligator. Then it ate them. Thomas Mills wrote…

Enough is Enough

By Gary Pearce March 11, 2026

Exactly 80 years ago, in 1946, Republicans took control of Congress with a simple message: “Had…