REPORT FROM SANTA FE IS MADE POSSIBLE, IN PART, BY GRANTS FROM THE NEW MEXICO MUNICIPAL LEAGUE, A BETTER NEW MEXICO THROUGH BETTER CITIES AND FROM >>LORENE: HELLO, I AM LORENE MILLS AND WELCOME TO REPORT FROM SANTA FE .

OUR GUEST TODAY IS FORMER SENATOR, BUT SENATOR FOREVER IN MY HEART, DEDE FELDMAN, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

>>DEDE: THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>>LORENE: WELL YOU SERVED FROM 1997 TO 2012, REALLY INTENSELY, FORMATIVE AND IMPORTANT TIMES IN OUR HISTORY, 16 YEARS.

YOU ARE A DEMOCRAT FROM BERNALILLO FROM THE NORTH VALLEY AND YOU WRITE A LOT ABOUT THAT IN YOUR NEW BOOK.

WEREN'T YOU THE FIRST WOMAN ELECTED FROM THAT AREA?

>>DEDE: FROM NEW NORTH VALLEY, JANICE PASTOR WAS ELECTED A FEW YEARS BEFORE FROM THE FURTHER NORTH IN THE VALLEY.

>>LORENE: AND YOU WERE A VERY POWERFUL SENATOR.

YOU WERE CHAIR OF THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, A VERY POWERFUL COMMITTEE FOR YEARS AND YEARS.

YOU ARE THE AUTHOR OF SEVERAL BOOKS, THIS ONE KIND OF SET THE LEGISLATURE ON ITS EAR, INSIDE THE NEW MEXICO SENATE: BOOTS, SUITS AND CITIZENS .

WELL, TELL US ABOUT IT.

>>DEDE: WELL, IT IS AN INSIDE LOOK AT HOW THINGS WORK AND HOW THINGS DON'T WORK IN THE NEW MEXICO SENATE AND IT UTILIZES SEVERAL DIFFERENT STORIES OF WHY CERTAIN BILLS FAIL AND WHY CERTAIN BILLS SUCCEED YOU KNOW, IT DEPENDS UPON ADVOCACY AND TIMING AND LEADERSHIP.

SO WE LOOK AT THE DEATH PENALTY AND MEDICAL MARIJUANA AND THE FAILURE OF THE LEGISLATURE TO TACKLE GUN CONTROL, FOR EXAMPLE.

>>LORENE: YEAH, THEN YOUR SECOND BOOK, ANOTHER WAY FORWARD: GRASSROOTS SOLUTIONS FOR NEW MEXICO.

NOW THIS IS SO WONDERFUL BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE DOING INNOVATIVE THINGS AND YOU WRITE ABOUT THEM, SO TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THIS.

>>DEDE: YOU KNOW, THE FIRST BOOK WAS FROM THE TOP DOWN, THAT ONE IS FROM THE BOTTOM UP.

AND IT IS JUST SOCIAL ENTERPRISES, NONPROFITS THAT ARE DOING WONDERS WITH NEXT TO NOTHING IN THE FIELDS OF AGRICULTURE AND HEALTHCARE AND EDUCATION AND HOUSING.

AND SOMETIMES THESE FOLKS WERE TURNED AWAY FROM THE LEGISLATURE WITHOUT FUNDING AND THEY WENT BACK HOME AND THEY DID IT ANYWAY.

AND SO I WANTED TO WRITE ABOUT THEM BECAUSE IT IS A WAY OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT THAT I THINK IS MORE APPROPRIATE TO NEW MEXICO THAN THE KIND OF INDUSTRIAL RECRUITMENT THAT WE HAVE BEEN PURSUING FOR MANY DECADES.

>>LORENE: AND ALSO A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT YOU WRITE ABOUT HAVE BEEN USED AS PARADIGMS OR PATTERNS FOR OTHER STATES.

>>DEDE: YES.

>>LORENE: BECAUSE IT CAME FROM THE GRASSROOTS, SOMEBODY JUST SAID, "WELL, THAT'S NOT RIGHT, MAYBE WE COULD FIX IT LIKE THIS" AND IT WORKED.

>>DEDE: YES.

>>LORENE: AND SO YOU HAVE SHOWN A LIGHT ON THEM, BUT IF THIS IS TOP DOWN AND THIS IS BOTTOM UP, WE ARE HERE TO TALK ABOUT YOUR NEW BOOK, A MEMOIR, TEN MORE DOORS: POLITICS AND THE PATH FOR CHANGE .

I LOVE THIS BOOK, IT'S BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN.

>>DEDE: THANK YOU.

>>LORENE: BUT IT IS IN EFFECT A MEMOIR, I DON'T THINK IT IS REALLY THE MIDDLE WAY, BUT IT IS YOUR JOURNEY THROUGH THE GRASSROOTS.

>>DEDE: WELL, YES, IT IS SORT OF THE INSIDE OUT.

>>LORENE: YEAH, YEAH, IT IS THE ODYSSEY BETWEEN THE TWO MODALITIES OF DOWN UP AND UP DOWN, BUT YOU HAVE A FORWARD BY STEPHANIE GARCIA RICHARD, WHO IS OUR STATE LAND COMMISSIONER, AND SHE ASKS IN THE FORWARD, "HOW DOES YOUR STORY FIT INTO THE LARGER STORY OF NEW MEXICO POLITICS, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOU DO HERE."

CAN YOU GIVE US JUST A SHORT VERSION, ONE THING THAT SHE FOCUSED ON WAS WHEN YOU RAN, THERE HAD NOT BEEN MANY WOMEN AT ALL IN HIGHER ELECTED OFFICE AND CERTAINLY NOT IN THE LEGISLATURE.

>>DEDE: RIGHT, WELL, WE ALL NEED MODELS AND I'M HOPING THAT I COULD BE OR MY STORY COULD BE SOMEWHAT OF A MODEL FOR FOLKS LIKE STEPHANIE AND OTHER YOUNG WOMAN WHO WANT TO RUN FOR OFFICE BUT MIGHT HOLD BACK FOR VARIOUS REASONS.

THEY FEEL LIKE AN OUTSIDER, WHICH I FELT LIKE SOMETIMES.

>>LORENE: WELL YOU WERE AN ANGLO FROM THE NORTH VALLEY, FROM THE EAST COAST FROM PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AND SO YOU HAD A LOT OF STRIKES AGAINST YOU AND YOU TURNED THEM ALL TO WORK FOR YOU.

>>DEDE: YEAH, WELL IT WAS ALL DUE TO MY NEIGHBORS AND MY EXPERIENCE IN BUILDING A HOUSE, A SOLAR ADOBE HOUSE IN THE 1970S IN THE NORTH VALLEY OF ALBUQUERQUE AND WHAT THAT TAUGHT ME ABOUT COMMUNITY AND MY NEIGHBORS.

EVERYBODY SAID I WOULD NEVER WIN IN THAT DISTRICT BECAUSE NEW MEXICO HAS A PATTERN OF ETHNIC VOTING AND WE ARE STRUGGLING WITH THAT RIGHT NOW WITH REDISTRICTING.

BUT I FOUND THAT IF PEOPLE GOT TO KNOW YOU AND I WENT DOOR TO DOOR, PEOPLE WOULD MAKE UP THEIR MIND BASED ON WHO I WAS AND WHO THEY WERE RATHER THAN A LAST NAME.

AND SO IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE, IT WAS ONE OF THE SEMINAL EXPERIENCES, I THINK, OF MY LIFE, IS GOING DOOR TO DOOR, MEETING PEOPLE I DIDN'T KNOW, INTRODUCING MYSELF, TAKING RISKS, BEING OPEN TO THE IMPOSSIBLE, BEING OPEN TO DANGER, BEING OPEN TO UNEXPECTED OPENINGS.

>>LORENE: WELL THERE WERE SOME LITERAL UNEXPECTED OPENINGS.

>>DEDE: THERE WERE MANY.

>>LORENE: SO, UNTIL YOU TALK ABOUT THAT SO, TEN MORE DOORS IS A KIND OF PERSONAL GOAL YOU PUT AT THE END OF A TIRED DAY AND MAYBE OF KNOCKING ON DOOR TO DOOR.

ONE THING THAT YOU OFFERED THESE PEOPLE THAT IS ONE OF THE MAIN SECRETS OF PR, IS THAT YOU LISTEN AND YOU ASK THEM, WHAT IS YOUR QUESTION ABOUT STATE GOVERNMENT?

>>DEDE: DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT STATE GOVERNMENT?

>>LORENE: THAT'S IT, OPEN THE DOOR.

SO YOU KNOCK AT THE DOOR AND YOU TALK ABOUT THE TOP TEN EPISODES, UNPREDICTABLY, TELL US A COUPLE OF THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE VERY FUNNY, ONE DOES NOT EXPECT THIS TO HAPPEN WHEN YOU KNOCK ON SOMEBODY'S DOOR.

>>DEDE: RIGHT.

>>LORENE: TALK ABOUT THE TIME... >>DEDE: WELL, I ARRIVED AT THE SAME TIME AS A LIFE INSURANCE SALESMAN ONCE.

AND THAT WAS PRETTY UNUSUAL, BUT THEY TALKED TO ME AND NOT TO HIM.

HE WAS ALL DRESSED UP IN A SUIT AND HAD A BRIEFCASE, I JUST HAD MY CLIPBOARD AND A BUTTON ON SAYING, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS, SO THAT WAS ONE.

>>LORENE: AND THE WIND.

>>DEDE: OH!

AND THEN ALSO, YOU KNOW YOU NEVER KNOW THE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS, YOU COULD BE OUT WALKING AND IT COULD START SNOWING.

I ALWAYS FELT I GOT EXTRA POINTS WHEN I KNOCKED ON SOMEBODY'S DOOR IN THE SNOW BECAUSE THEN THEY KNEW YOU WERE REALLY DEDICATED.

BUT I HAD SO MUCH FUN AND I DIDN'T ALWAYS GET A VOTE, I GOT BITTEN BY DOGS MANY TIMES.

I CARRIED DOG YUMMIES AND PEPPER SPRAY.

>>LORENE: I JUST WANT TO GO BACK TO THE EXTREME CLIMATE EVENTS.

>>DEDE: YEAH.

>>LORENE: BECAUSE THERE WAS ONE THAT HAPPENED WHEN YOU KNOCKED ON THE DOOR AND THEY WENT TO OPEN IT AND THE WIND PICKED IT UP?

>>DEDE: WELL, NO, OFTEN YOU KNOW THERE IS A STORM DOOR BESIDE THE REGULAR DOOR AND SO IN OPENING THE STORM DOOR TO HAND MY SO-CALLED "LITERATURE" TO THE VOTER, A GUST OF WIND CAME AND ABSOLUTELY BLEW THE DOOR OFF THE HINGES.

YOU KNOW AND THEN YOU ARE THROWN INTO THINGS LIKE, DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS?

>>LORENE: I KNOW, YEAH.

>>DEDE: OR NOT AND YOU KNOW IT IS NOT JUST A QUESTION OF LOSING A VOTE, BUT YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE WORSE.

SO, THERE WERE A LOT OF THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT PEOPLE TOOK THEM IN REAL GOOD HUMOR AND I THINK HAVING A SENSE OF HUMOR WAS A REAL HELP, TOO.

AND I ENGAGED IN A LOT OF VERY INCOHERENT CONVERSATIONS, BUT I WAS VERY ATTENTIVE, AND PEOPLE REMEMBERED ME.

>>LORENE: YEAH.

>>DEDE: YEAH.

>>LORENE: YEAH.

>>DEDE: SO.

>>LORENE: SO, I WOULD LIKE TO GO A LITTLE ABOUT SOME OF THE SPECIFICS IN THIS.

THERE WERE SEVERAL THINGS THAT CAUGHT ME.

WELL, I LOVE THE BOOK AND IT IS VERY WELL WRITTEN.

SO, YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR NAME.

>>DEDE: YEAH.

>>LORENE: BECAUSE YOUR BIRTH NAME IS NOT AT ALL LIKE THE NAME WE KNOW YOU BY.

>>DEDE: RIGHT.

>>LORENE: MARY ELIZABETH WOODCRAFT.

>>DEDE: WOODCRAFT.

VERY WASPY LAST NAME.

>>LORENE: AND YOUR BACKGROUND IS?

>>DEDE: AND, OF COURSE, I AM FROM PHILADELPHIA, I WAS BORN IN SORT OF COLONIAL AMERICA.

MY FAMILY IS A QUAKER FAMILY FROM THE BACKBENCHES OF THE PHILADELPHIA YEARLY MEETING AND SO I WENT TO QUAKER BOARDING SCHOOLS AND IT WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF MY UPBRINGING, MY GRANDMOTHER EVEN SPOKE THE PLAIN LANGUAGE OF, "THEE AND THOU".

>>LORENE: OH, I LOVE THAT IS CALLED THE PLAIN LANGUAGE, TO ME IT IS VERY BIBLICAL AND FANCY, BUT "THEE AND THOU, WHY DOST NOT THOU."

>>DEDE: YEAH, IF YOU HEAR IT IN OTHER LANGUAGES, BUT NOT IN ENGLISH.

SO, YEAH, MY REAL NAME IS MARY ELIZABETH WOODCRAFT AND I JUST CHANGED IT ON A WHIM WHEN I WAS IN SEVENTH GRADE AND THAT HAPPENED TO BE THE YEAR THAT I WAS CHANGING SCHOOLS, YOU KNOW, GOING INTO JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL.

SO, I JUST INTRODUCED MYSELF AS DEDE WOODCRAFT AT THAT TIME AND IT STUCK AND SO I HAVE BEEN THAT UNTIL I WAS MARRIED AND BECAME DEDE FELDMAN.

>>LORENE: BUT THIS ABILITY TO REINVENT YOURSELF.

>>DEDE: YEAH.

>>LORENE: SHOWS TIME AND TIME AGAIN, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU HAD SOME EXPERIENCES WITH THE YOUTH GROUP IN UGANDA.

>>DEDE: RIGHT, YEAH.

>>LORENE: IT TURNED OUT A RATHER DANGEROUS POLITICAL TIME.

>>DEDE: A VERY DANGEROUS POLITICAL TIME.

MY HUSBAND AND I TOOK TEN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM THE SCHOOL WHERE I WAS TEACHING, I USED TO BE A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER AND WE TOOK THEM TO UGANDA NOT KNOWING THAT IT WAS AT THE HEIGHT OF IDI AMIN'S REIGN, AND IT WAS TRULY FRIGHTENING.

BUT WE ACCOMPLISHED OUR JOB WHICH WAS TO BUILD TWO SCHOOLS THERE, IT WAS SORT OF LIKE ADOBE BUILDING WHICH WE LATER REDISCOVERED WHEN WE MOVED TO THE NORTH VALLEY IN 1976.

BUT I KISSED THE GROUND WHEN I RETURNED FROM UGANDA BECAUSE I LEARNED THE IMPORTANCE OF DEMOCRACY THERE.

I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TEACH SOME YOUNG TEENAGERS IN A CLASSROOM BUILDING WITH A DIRT FLOOR AND THEY WERE AT THE BECK AND CALL OF A BRUTAL MILITARY DICTATOR AND THEIR EXPRESSIONS ABOUT IT SORT OF SET THE TONE REALLY FOR MY ENTIRE CAREER.

>>LORENE: BECAUSE YOU ASKED THEM, WHAT IS POWER?

>>DEDE: YEAH, "WHAT IS POWER?"

IT IS A KEY QUESTION; IT IS A KEY QUESTION FOR ALL OF US.

I MEAN RIGHT NOW, IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

AS THE GUARDRAILS OF DEMOCRACY ARE BEING REALLY OVERRUN AND POWER HAS BECOME MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE COMMON GOOD.

SO, YOU KNOW, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS MOTIVATED ME BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE LEGISLATURE TO PREVENT THE KIND OF SOCIETY THAT EXISTED IN UGANDA AND UGANDA, AGAIN, HAS A DICTATOR WHO IS IN POWER RIGHT NOW.

>>LORENE: I DON'T THINK ANYONE COULD BE AS BRUTAL AS IDI AMIN.

>>DEDE: NO.

>>LORENE: BUT HERE YOU HAVE ALL THESE CHAPTERS IN YOUR LIFE, AND I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT WE ARE SPEAKING TODAY WITH DEDE FELDMAN ABOUT HER NEW BOOK CALLED, TEN MORE DOORS: POLITICS AND THE PATH TO CHANGE .

ONE OTHER THING THAT I LOVED ABOUT THIS WAS YOUR GREAT GRANDFATHER AND YOU HAVE GOT A CHAPTER ABOUT MAKING SPEECHES AND HE WAS A SPEAKER AND HE WAS A PASSIONATE ORATOR AND YOU KIND OF EVOKE HIS SPIRIT.

HE TALKS ABOUT HOW YOU PICKED UP ON THE FAMILY THEME ABOUT HOW ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

>>DEDE: YEAH.

>>LORENE: AND HOW HE WANTED TO BE A TORCHBEARER FOR DEMOCRACY.

IF I MAY, YOU HAVE AN OPENING POEM HERE AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR BOOK AND I AM JUST GOING TO READ A FEW LINES FROM GEORGE BERNARD SHAW IN HIS BOOK FROM 1903 CALLED MAN AND SUPER MAN .

BUT I THINK OUR AUDIENCE WILL LOVE HEARING THIS, TOO.

"I WANT TO BE THOROUGHLY USED UP WHEN I DIE.

FOR THE HARDER I WORK, THE MORE I LIVE.

LIFE IS NO 'BRIEF CANDLE' FOR ME.

IT IS A SORT OF SPLENDID TORCH WHICH I'VE GOT HOLD OF FOR THE MOMENT AND I WANT TO MAKE IT BURN AS BRIGHTLY AS POSSIBLE BEFORE HANDING IT ON TO FUTURE GENERATIONS."

AND THAT IS WHAT YOU WERE DOING IN YOUR SPEECHES AND EMPOWERING, WHAT DID YOU CALL IT, SOMETHING OF THE POSSIBLE?

>>DEDE: YES, A PASSION FOR THE POSSIBLE.

>>LORENE: A PASSION FOR THE POSSIBLE.

>>DEDE: YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PASSION FOR THE POSSIBLE TO BE IN OFFICE NOW AND IF YOU DON'T YOU SHOULD GET OUT, I THINK.

SO, I WAS A HARD WORKER AS YOU KNOW, SPONSORING LOTS OF BILLS, REALLY PUSHING IT WITH A SENSE OF URGENCY AND I THINK THAT THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

YOU KNOW IT WAS SO HARD FOR ME TO TALK ABOUT MY GREAT GRANDFATHER, I HAVE NEVER REALLY TALKED ABOUT ANY OF THE STUFF THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT TODAY IN MY TIME IN SANTA FE.

I WAS FROM THE NORTH VALLEY, I WASN'T FROM PENNSYLVANIA.

>>LORENE: YEAH.

>>DEDE: AND MY BACKGROUND WAS UNIMPORTANT, BUT MY DISTRICT WAS IMPORTANT AND THE STATE WAS IMPORTANT.

SO, YOU KNOW, THE FAC THAT I HAD A GREAT GRANDFATHER THAT WAS A CIVIL WAR VETERAN PROBABLY NOT UNUSUAL, WHO WAS A DEMOCRAT, THAT WAS VERY UNUSUAL IN PENNSYLVANIA, WHICH WAS LARGELY REPUBLICAN AND IT DIDN'T HAVE THE POSITIVE, WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE THE POSITIVE CONNOTATIONS OF BEING A DEMOCRAT TODAY.

HE WAS A FAN OF ANDREW JACKSON.

>>LORENE: YES.

>>DEDE: WHO, YOU KNOW, WAS A REALLY QUESTIONABLE PRESIDENT.

>>LORENE: NOW FROM OUR EYES.

>>DEDE: FROM OUR EYES.

>>LORENE: YEAH.

>>DEDE: THAT'S RIGHT.

>>LORENE: THE OTHER LITTLE EPISODES OF "TORTILLA WINDOW."

YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO YOUR NEIGHBORS, ONE OF YOUR EARLY JOURNALISTIC EXPEDITIONS WAS A PUBLICATION CALLED, THE SEERS CATALOG, SEERS, THE VISIONARIES .

AND SO IT IS JUST WONDERFUL HOW THIS DELIGHTFUL PATH OF YOUR LIFE LED YOU TO BE IN THIS POSITION TO MAKE SUCH A DIFFERENCE FOR THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO.

>>DEDE: OH, THANK YOU.

IT WAS WONDERFUL TO BE HERE AS A NEWCOMER EXPERIENCING THE ENCHANTMENT AND THE ADVENTURE OF NEW MEXICO IN THE 1970S.

IT WAS A TIME OF EXPERIMENTATION, AND YOU KNOW WE WERE A PART OF THAT.

THERE WAS REALLY A BURGEONING SOLAR ENERGY INDUSTRY AT THE TIME, IT WAS PASSIVE SOLAR ENERGY.

THERE WERE STILL HIPPIE COMMUNES IN NORTHERN NEW MEXICO.

AND THERE WERE UNDERGROUND NEWSPAPERS LIKE SEERS, WHICH IS SO TOTALLY DIFFERENT, IT WAS THE GOLDEN AGE OF JOURNALISM.

REMEMBER, WOODWARD AND BERNSTEIN HAD JUST PROVEN TO US THAT THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD AND YOU CAN CHANGE HISTORY BY BEING IN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM AND THAT IS ONE OF MY BIG REGRETS ABOUT TODAY IS KIND OF THE DISBELIEF PEOPLE HAVE IN SCIENCE AND OBJECTIVE READING.

>>LORENE: REALITY, YEAH.

>>DEDE: OBJECTIVE REALITY.

>>LORENE: WELL, I AM SO GLAD YOU MENTIONED WOODWARD AND BERNSTEIN, BECAUSE IN THE BOOK YOU POINT HOW YOUR LIFE EVEN FROM THE SEERS CATALOG TO NOW YOU ARE WORKING SINCE YOU RETIRED FROM THE SENATE, AND WE WILL COME BACK TO THE SENATE, AS A DIRECTOR FOR A WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION THAT I HAVE BEEN PASSIONATE ABOUT FOR A LONG TIME, COMMON CAUSE.

AND SO NOW IN A WAY YOU ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE HISTORY OF CERTAIN ISSUES, SAY ETHICS, HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED ON ETHICS?

>>DEDE: CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM.

>>LORENE: CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM, HEALTHCARE, YOU JUST KNOW ALL OF THAT STUFF.

AND SO YOU HAD SAID IN THE BOOK THAT YOU HAD WANTED YOURSELF TO BE AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER LIKE BERNSTEIN OR WOODWARD BUT NOW YOU ARE DEEP THROAT, NOW YOU ARE A SOURCE.

>>DEDE: I AM TRYING.

>>LORENE: YEAH.

>>DEDE: WELL THERE IS AN INSIDE GAME AND THERE IS AN OUTSIDE GAME, AND EVERYBODY HAS A ROLE TO PLAY AND EVERYBODY'S ROLE IS IMPORTANT.

I THINK THAT IS WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND, EVERYBODY CAN MAKE A CONTRIBUTION IF YOU KEEP TRYING, IF YOU PERSEVERE, AND A LOT OF MY VICTORIES DID NOT COME EASY AND THEY DID NOT COME QUICKLY, BUT ONLY AFTER DECADES.

>>LORENE: WELL, I WAS INSPIRED BY THE DANCE YOU DO BETWEEN LOSING AND WINNING, BECAUSE YOU WERE EARLY WORK FOR A LOT OF CANDIDATES WHO DID NOT WIN, YOU WORKED FOR A LOT OF ISSUES AND GOT SLAPPED DOWN EVERY TIME.

AND, "STILL I RISE," AS MAYA ANGELOU SAID BECAUSE YOU WOULD GO BACK INTO THE FRAY AND I THINK 40 YEARS, WE AS A GROUP OF ACTIVISTS, WORKED ON ETHICS.

>>DEDE: YEAH.

>>LORENE: AND THE ETHICS COMMISSION AND TRANSPARENCY.

>>DEDE: THAT'S RIGHT.

>>LORENE: AND THERE ARE JUST SO MANY TIMES AND YOU DETAIL THEM, WHEN THE BILL WOULD SQUEAK OUT OF ONE HOUSE.

>>DEDE: IT IS SO FRUSTRATING.

>>LORENE: AND IT IS JUST HEARTBREAKING AND YET THAT IS WHAT MADE THE VICTORY SO SWEET.

>>DEDE: BUT IF YOU LOOK BACK, BUT IF YOU LOOK BACK NOW, YOU SEE THAT THERE IS A MAJORITY OF WOMEN IN THE NEW MEXICO HOUSE, YOU SEE THAT WE DO HAVE AN ETHICS COMMISSION.

YOU SEE THAT A LOT OF THOSE CANDIDATES THAT I WORKED FOR LIKE TOM UDALL, WHO HAD LOST TWICE BEFORE HE WON, NOW BECAME A US SENATOR.

SO, YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE LONG VIEW, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DO AND MAINTAIN THE SENSE OF URGENCY BUT IT IS IMPORTANT.

>>LORENE: NOW WASN'T THE LONG VIEW A SORT OF WORKING TITLE FOR TEN MORE DOORS ?

>>DEDE: YEAH, ADVANCING THE BALL DOWN THE FIELD I THINK WAS ONE, BUT THEN I REALIZED WELL I AM NOT REALLY A SPORTS ADDICT.

>>LORENE: NO.

>>DEDE: SO THAT ANALOGY WASN'T VERY GOOD.

>>LORENE: BUT ALSO YOU WERE THE PILGRIM OUT THERE KNOCKING ON DOORS.

>>DEDE: I CONTINUE TO GO DOOR TO DOOR, IT IS KIND OF A PRACTICE THAT I HAVE.

I DO IT FOR OTHER CANDIDATES BESIDES MYSELF AND ALWAYS HAVE SO IT KEEPS ME IN TOUCH WITH WHAT IS GOING ON.

IT IS HAS BEEN A REAL SACRIFICE DURING COVID TO NOT BE ABLE TO GO TO SPECIAL EVENTS LIKE MATANZAS OR NOT BE ABLE TO GET OUT THERE AND REALLY MIX IT UP WITH PEOPLE.

I LIKE TO DO THAT AND IT HAS BEEN HARD.

>>LORENE: BUT LOOK HOW WELL YOU USE YOUR TIME, YOU WROTE THIS BOOK.

>>DEDE: WELL IT WAS A WAY I COULD MAKE USE OF THE TIME TO MAINTAIN THE IDEALISM THAT I HAD WHEN I WAS YOUNGER AS I GROW OLDER.

AND ALSO A WAY OF TALKING TO PEOPLE NOW ABOUT AS YOU KNOW, SORT OF THE GUARDRAILS OF DEMOCRACY SEEM TO BE SLIPPING AWAY OF WHAT THE FOUNDATION WAS.

YOU KNOW WHEN MAJORITIES RULED, WHEN THERE WAS AN INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY, WHEN PEOPLE BELIEVED IN SCIENCE, WHEN PEOPLE BELIEVED THAT THE NEWS MEDIA WOULD NOT LIE TO THEM AND THAT THEIR LEADERS WERE THERE FOR THEIR BENEFIT AND NOT FOR PERSONAL GAIN.

>>LORENE: SO THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO END UP TALKING WITH YOU ABOUT TODAY.

I FEEL AS YOU DO THAT DEMOCRACY IS UNDER THREAT LIKE NEVER BEFORE.

>>DEDE: RIGHT.

>>LORENE: AND AS A NEWSPERSON, IT JUST, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE, ME, OR YOUR LYING EYES?

I MEAN THEY COULD QUESTION THINGS FOR WHICH THERE IS VIDEO TAPE LIKE TRYING TO RE SPIN THE JANUARY 6TH INSURRECTION AS A TOURIST VISIT.

>>DEDE: YES.

>>LORENE: AND THEY WERE BEATING COPS UP, ANYWAY, AND THEN THE BIG LIE A LOSING CANDIDATE CAN JUST SAY, "I WON."

>>DEDE: YES.

>>LORENE: AND THE LOW INFORMATION FOLLOWERS WILL JUST BELIEVE HIM AND IT IS JUST NOT TRUE AND IT PUTS INTO QUESTION OUR ENTIRE ELECTION PROCESS.

SO, YOU ARE, AS GEORGE BERNARD SHAW ASKED AND YOUR GREAT GRANDFATHER ASKED AS A TORCHBEARER FOR DEMOCRACY, WHAT DO WE NEED TO KNOW FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW AND THEN WHAT CAN WE DO?

>>DEDE: WELL, THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT, BUT I AM ONE AMONG MANY.

>>LORENE: OF COURSE.

>>DEDE: AND HAVE A SMALL ROLE REALLY COMPARED TO THE YOUNGER FOLKS NOW WHO HAVE EVERYTHING ON THE LINE, BECAUSE WE ARE AT A REAL TURNING POINT IN OUR COUNTRY.

AND I WAS SO IMPRESSED DURING THIS PAST ELECTION HOW YOUNG PEOPLE USED TECHNOLOGY, HOW EVEN IN THE FACE OF A DEADLY VIRUS, GOT PEOPLE TO VOTE WHEN IT WAS ACTUALLY DANGEROUS TO DO SO.

AND THEY HAVE A LOT ON THE LINE WHEN IT COMES TO CLIMATE CHANGE, WHEN IT COMES TO LIVING IN A FREE SOCIETY, AND I HAVE A CERTAIN DEGREE OF FAITH THAT THEY WILL RISE TO THE OCCASION, IF WE CAN PROVIDE THEM WITH THE INSPIRATION, THE MODELS, THE HISTORY, TO GO FORWARD AND TO CARRY THAT TORCH.

BECAUSE WE CERTAINLY NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK HARD, TO CONTINUE TO KNOCK ON DOORS, AND THAT IS JUST A METAPHOR FOR BEING PERSISTENT AND FOR STAYING IN THE FIGHT.

>>LORENE: WELL, ONE ASPECT THAT I AM ALWAYS PLEADING FOR IS, I THINK SO DESPERATELY THAT WE NEED TO PUT CIVICS BACK IN TO THE SCHOOLS, BECAUSE WITH ALL THIS SUSPICION OF VOTING AND VOTER FRAUD THIS NONEXISTENT DEVIL THAT IS LURKING OUT THERE, THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD THEIR GOVERNMENT AND HOW IT WORKS AND HOW THE CHECKS AND BALANCES WORK.

THIS IS A PRETTY GOOD SYSTEM, AND WE ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING IT.

SO, IF ONLY BACK IN SCHOOL IF KIDS COULD BE EDUCATED TO SEE HOW THINGS WORK, THAT THERE ARE SAFEGUARDS.

AND YOU KNOW I LOOK AT WHAT SOME OF THESE STATES ARE DOING IN TERMS OF VOTER SUPPRESSION AND IT MAKES ME ABSOLUTELY SICK.

SO, WE SHOULD KEEP ON REACHING OUT AND KNOCKING ON DOORS AND FIGHTING AGAIN FOR THE TRANSPARENCY TO PRESERVE.

>>DEDE: OH YES, THAT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

YEAH, BUT TRANSPARENCY IS NOT ENOUGH.

I AM A GREAT BELIEVER IN TRANSPARENCY, BUT PEOPLE HAVE TO BE ACTIVE.

IT IS NOT JUST A QUESTION OF SEEING WHAT IS OUT THERE, WE USED TO BELIEVE THAT IF THEY COULD SEE HOW ELECTIONS ARE BOUGHT SOMETIMES OR THEY COULD SEE HOW DYSFUNCTIONAL A CONGRESS COULD BE AS A RESULT OF A FEW PEOPLE, THAT THAT WAS ENOUGH.

BUT THAT IS NOT ENOUGH AND IT REQUIRES VOTING, IT REQUIRES CONSTANT POLITICAL ACTIVITY TO PREVENT THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE GAINED DURING THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, FOR EXAMPLE, FROM SLIPPING AWAY AND PRIMARILY, THE RIGHT TO FAIR AND FREE ELECTIONS.

>>LORENE: IT IS FUNNY BECAUSE TIM DECRISTOPHER, A VERY RADICAL ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST HAD TO SAY, "WHEN YOU SIGN A PETITION, THAT'S CLICKTAVISION, BUT WHEN YOU GET TO BE AN ACTIVIST, YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF YOUR CHAIR."

YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.

>>DEDE: YOU HAVE TO ACT, YEAH, RIGHT.

>>LORENE: RIGHT, RIGHT.

>>DEDE: AND PEOPLE HAVE FOUND A WAY TO EVEN DO THAT, EVEN IN A TIME OF COVID, WHICH IS NOT EASY.

YOU KNOW BECAUSE WE THOUGHT, OH YOU GO TO THE HEARING, YOU KNOW, YOU TESTIFY, YOU WRITE LETTERS, YOU DO ALL THAT.

WELL, SOME OF THAT IS MORE DIFFICULT, NOW WE ARE FINDING A WAY THROUGH ZOOM AND THROUGH SOME TECHNOLOGIES OF EVEN DOING IT ONE BETTER.

SO WE HAVE TO CONTINUE THAT.

>>LORENE: WELL, THANK YOU.

OUR GUEST TODAY IS FORMER SENATOR, DEDE FELDMAN, AUTHOR, DEDE FELDMAN.

WE TALKED ABOUT THIS BOOK, TEN MORE DOORS: POLITICS AND THE PATH OF CHANG.

BUT IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN NEW MEXICO POLITICS, BY ALL MEANS READ INSIDE THE NEW MEXICO SENATE .

AND IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ANOTHER WAY FORWARD, FOLLOW THE WONDERFUL "GRASSROOTS SOLUTIONS" THAT HAVE COME UP TO SOLVE A LOT OF OUR PROBLEMS, THIS WILL GIVE YOU OPTIMISM AND HOPE.

>>DEDE: WELL, THANK YOU, LORENE, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

>>LORENE: IT'S BEEN A REAL PLEASURE.

AND I AM LORENE MILLS AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU OUR AUDIENCE FOR BEING WITH US TODAY ON REPORT FROM SANTA FE .

REPORT FROM SANTA FE IS MADE POSSIBLE, IN PART, BY GRANTS FROM THE NEW MEXICO MUNICIPAL LEAGUE, A BETTER NEW MEXICO THROUGH BETTER CITIES AND FROM THE HEALY FOUNDATION, TAOS, NM.