My Memoir
John Bolton: “Reagan lost the first five primaries to Gerald Ford in 1976 – then upset Ford in North Carolina. Carter Wrenn ran Reagan’s North Carolina campaign. He tells a compelling story about American politics, from Reagan to Trump.”
Stephen Mansfield, New York Times bestselling author: “Our generation is awash in a sea of thin analysis and easy opinion about the role of religion in American politics. What we need are the stories told by those who were there, who were in the moment, who smelled the sweat and the fear and felt the hot breath of passion full in their faces. Carter Wrenn gives us such stories and so makes a raucous era of American faith-based politics live again.”
Gary Pearce, Democrat political strategist: “Carter and I have fought on different sides of the political wars, but we’ve remained friends for twenty years. He has seen politics up close in North Carolina and the nation and with the touch of an old school southern storyteller has written rare book about politics and religion.”
Reagan ran for President the first time in 1976, lost the first five primaries to Gerald Ford – campaign collapsing, Reagan won North Carolina. Due to a 30-minute film. And one issue.
Jim Hunt was elected governor 4 times. He ran against Jesse Helms for Senate – Jesse trailed by 25 points – nothing we did for a year worked then, out of a clear blue sky, a gift fell into our lap.
I tell stories in my memoir about watching votes roll in the night Senator John East won by a whisker; about Tom Ellis sitting at dinner with Lauch Faircloth (before Lauch ran for Senate), asking, Where do you stand on issues – and Lauch rocking back, laughing, You write the music and I’ll sing it anyway you want; about Congressman George Holding coming home after his first trip to Washington, sitting in my office shaking his head, saying, You won’t believe this. And about each of Trump’s campaigns.
Hardly a soul today remembers the fear felt during the Cold War, when the Soviet Union, launching a nuclear missile, could have spelled Armageddon. Today, history is forgotten.
I tell stories about how that fear led to the rise of conservative politics under Reagan; how, after the Berlin Wall fell, a long decline started – that led to Trump and Biden; and stories about faith – about Reagan lying on a hospital gurney saying a prayer for the man who shot him.
Living in a fallen world we inherit some ‘flow’rets of Eden’ but as poet Thomas Moore added ‘the trail of the serpent is over them all.’ In my memoir, I follow The Trail of the Serpent twisting and turning through politics – from Reagan to Trump.
You can order The Trail of the Serpent now from Amazon or from the publisher.
********
Share on Facebook or X or in an email.
My Memoir
John Bolton: “Reagan lost the first five primaries to Gerald Ford in 1976 – then upset Ford in North Carolina. Carter Wrenn ran Reagan’s North Carolina campaign. He tells a compelling story about American politics, from Reagan to Trump.”
Stephen Mansfield, New York Times bestselling author: “Our generation is awash in a sea of thin analysis and easy opinion about the role of religion in American politics. What we need are the stories told by those who were there, who were in the moment, who smelled the sweat and the fear and felt the hot breath of passion full in their faces. Carter Wrenn gives us such stories and so makes a raucous era of American faith-based politics live again.”
Gary Pearce, Democrat political strategist: “Carter and I have fought on different sides of the political wars, but we’ve remained friends for twenty years. He has seen politics up close in North Carolina and the nation and with the touch of an old school southern storyteller has written rare book about politics and religion.”
Reagan ran for President the first time in 1976, lost the first five primaries to Gerald Ford – campaign collapsing, Reagan won North Carolina. Due to a 30-minute film. And one issue.
Jim Hunt was elected governor 4 times. He ran against Jesse Helms for Senate – Jesse trailed by 25 points – nothing we did for a year worked then, out of a clear blue sky, a gift fell into our lap.
I tell stories in my memoir about watching votes roll in the night Senator John East won by a whisker; about Tom Ellis sitting at dinner with Lauch Faircloth (before Lauch ran for Senate), asking, Where do you stand on issues – and Lauch rocking back, laughing, You write the music and I’ll sing it anyway you want; about Congressman George Holding coming home after his first trip to Washington, sitting in my office shaking his head, saying, You won’t believe this. And about each of Trump’s campaigns.
Hardly a soul today remembers the fear felt during the Cold War, when the Soviet Union, launching a nuclear missile, could have spelled Armageddon. Today, history is forgotten.
I tell stories about how that fear led to the rise of conservative politics under Reagan; how, after the Berlin Wall fell, a long decline started – that led to Trump and Biden; and stories about faith – about Reagan lying on a hospital gurney saying a prayer for the man who shot him.
Living in a fallen world we inherit some ‘flow’rets of Eden’ but as poet Thomas Moore added ‘the trail of the serpent is over them all.’ In my memoir, I follow The Trail of the Serpent twisting and turning through politics – from Reagan to Trump.
You can order The Trail of the Serpent now from Amazon or from the publisher.
********
Share on Facebook or X or in an email.