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Carter Wrenn, a Republican political consultant, muses on his blog, Talking About Politics, about Internet sweepstakes.

"Who’d have thought it was possible – the Internet sweepstakes poker parlor folks have offered ‘to put $500 million’ in the state treasury – if the legislators will just see the light and let them stay in business.

"Whoever heard of anybody volunteering to pay half a billion dollars in taxes? You have to wonder how much people in North Carolina are spending while sitting in Internet sweepstakes parlors? A billion? $2 billion? $5 billion?

Gary Pearce, a Democratic consultant, writes in his blog, Talking About Politics, about all the GOP legislation.

"A group of Democrats was decrying the blizzard of bad bills they see from the legislature: cutting education, attacking renewable energy, making it harder for teens to get health care, loosening gun restraints, on and on. They were talking about what could be done to slow down the storm or persuade Governor McCrory to exercise some judgment.

Raleigh Republicans’ once-united front is fraying. There was Rep. Larry Pittman’s non-apology apology to Speaker Tillis (“I’m not sorry I said it; I’m sorry I got caught.”) One wit noted that it read like a hostage letter. Was he waterboarded?

Then there’s renewable energy. Some Republicans chafed at the pressure behind the bill to abolish the renewable-energy portfolio, especially those whose districts have jobs and investments at stake. There are also those who worry about the signals the legislature is sending to companies looking at North Carolina (“We’re in a race to the bottom with Mississippi” and “No contract is safe with us in town.”)

The party that once chided Democrats for heavy-handed rule now routinely gavel through bills regardless of how members voted, including their own.

"Last week Gary(Pearce) thoughtfully wrote a squib (below) urging people to visit young Thomas Mills’ new website PoliticsNC – so I did," writes Republican consultant Carter Wrenn in his blog Talking about politics. "And got a surprise. Young Mr. Mills was – genially – taking me to task for writing how the Democrats passing voter laws (over the years) to elect Democrats, had led to Republicans (once they had power) doing the same thing to elect Republicans, which, taken altogether, was a pretty good example of how one sin begets another – the political version of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth with no remorse anywhere."

"The Republicans’ education agenda finally comes into focus: It’s about creating a market for private enterprise. They want to privatize Medicaid and privatize the Department of Commerce, so why not privatize schools?" So writes Democratic political consultant in his blog Talking About Politics.

It’s the only thing that makes sense. You might be wondering: How do they propose to make public schools better when they demonize and demoralize teachers, take teacher assistants out of the classroom and increase class sizes? (And, at the same time, demand that schools teach the Bible, cursive writing and, for all we know, creationism.)

Years ago some crafty Democratic gnome sitting cloistered in a cell pouring over reams of demographics (trying to figure out the political inclinations of people who didn’t vote) had a revelation: If those folks did vote, a lot more Democrats were going to get elected," writes veteran GOP consultant Carter Wrenn on his blog, Talking about Politics:

Now, in a way, that sounds odd (after all, How could he know?) but as far as political theory goes he was standing on rock-solid ground. Demographics seldom lie.

Senator Phil Berger says national Republicans have a messenger problem, not a message problem. Democrats might well hope he believes that, writes Gary Pearce, a Democratic consultant in his blog, Talking About Politics.

After attending CPAC – the right-wing Woodstock – Berger told Travis Fain at the Greensboro News & Record: “It’s not just a communication problem. Sometimes it’s the individual messengers ... (and) some folks who lend themselves to caricature.”

Berger said Republican policies “are supported by a broad spectrum of people.”

Gary Pearce, the Democratic strategist, was more impressed with the Wolfpack than with Pat McCrory's inaugural. Here was his take on his blog, talkingaboutpolitics.com.

He writes: Raleigh was electric Saturday. The crowd was huge and enthusiastic. The stars outdid all their fans’ hopes.

Not the inaugural. The State-Duke game. (Go Pack!)

Governor McCrory’s early-season performance is like a basketball team that makes a brilliant play on one end, then commits a bonehead turnover.

His speech and its “Main Street” trope was good. But he said no money is “falling from the sky” right after he rained big pay raises on his Cabinet.

Politicians should rarely tell jokes, because they usually fall flat writes veteran Democratic consultant Gary Pearce in his blog Talking About Politics at talkingaboutpolitcs.com. "After Tony Tata’s appointment, a Republican friend said ruefully: “I hope he does better with DOT than he did with the school buses.” Speaking of jokes, Governor-elect McCrory’s apparently fell flat at the Economic Forecast Forum this week. In the spirit of bipartisanship, here’s a word of advice to the new Governor – and all politicians – about telling jokes at the beginning of a speech: Don’t.