CitizenCartwright : MyBlogHer Profile

Persuaded by the adage "Even if you're not interested in politics, politics is interested in YOU," I came to Washington after college to work for a congressman and learn the way politics worked from the inside.

I was a congressional staffer for 14 years, the last seven as director of the Environmental and Energy Study Conference, a part of Congress that provided legislative reporting and analysis. Year after year, 90 of 100 Senators and nearly 300 House members subscribed.

When the Center for Responsive Politics surveyed lawmakers and their staffs on the effectiveness of Congress, its report read, "When asked about the quality of caucus information, one group, the Environmental and Energy Study Conference, received so much praise a separate category had to be created."

When EESC lost its funding in 1995, those of us on the EESC staff privatized the publications as Congressional Green Sheets, with me as the company's president.

After 10 years, Green Sheets was purchased by Congressional Quarterly, and my colleagues and I joined the CQ staff. At CQ, I initially was associate editor, compiling and writing morning news summaries. Later, I was editor of CQ Green Sheets.

At the end of 2007, I was charged with developing First Light, a first-thing-in-the-morning speed summary of the top news, ideas and trends of interest to Congress and those who want to influence it.

Because of changes at CQ, First Light has been switched off.

Now my blog, Citizen Cartwright, is making available to the general public what until now only has been available to subscribers paying big bucks. I hope you'll join me in what I consider the great fun of staying on top of the ways politics is interested in all of us.