Betsy Clarke, a 68-year-old retired psychotherapist in Normandy Beach, New Jersey, is the classic profile of lifelong Democratic Party activist, who first marched for abortion rights some 40 years ago. More recently, she attended the massive Women's March after Donald Trump's inauguration, protested for gun control, donated to congressional candidates, and even sent postcards to Georgia voters in the 2021 special election that flipped the Senate.
This summer, she said she's "livid" over the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning abortion rights, but also annoyed with an underwhelming response to that crisis by leaders of the Democratic Party. "Didn't they see this coming?" she asked. "This was not a surprise."
Via Twitter, she told me: "This year I haven't donated to a single campaign or made a single phone call. I feel very guilty about this but I'm not happy with the Democrats, which does not mean I won't vote, just that I'm not happy."
