Meet Christian Rice: Politics Junkie and Recruiting Extraordinaire

Meet Christian Rice, politics enthusiast and avid PolicyMic-er. In the past month, Christian has recruited 9 fellow Georgetown University classmates to write for PolicyMic.

As part of our 'Pundit of the Week' blog, we ask one outstanding writer to share his/her experiences with the PolicyMic community.

Check out my inaugural 'Pundit of the Week' Q&A with Roy Klabin here, and last week's interview with Lily Bolourian here. Each Pundit gets to pose one never-been-asked question of a PolicyMic staff member. This week's question is for co-founder Jake Horowitz.

About Christian: Originally from San Diego, Christian moved to D.C. because of his obsession with politics. He now works part-time as a research associate for the Competitive Enterprise Institute and enjoys letting off some steam at the gym.

Caira Conner (CC): Tell us about when and why you initially joined PolicyMic.

Christian Rice (CR) I initially joined PolicyMic because I had a passion for writing and loved politics. After seeing PolicyMic on my Google news feed for several weeks, I decided to check it out. I signed up and started commenting on articles until I discovered I could write and publish some of my own articles.

CC: You've really knocked it out of the park with your past articles, and in recent weeks you've made a significant impact on our recruiting efforts, sending us talented applicants left and right. However, I can't help but notice you haven't written in a few months. Why the drop-off? Any advice for millennials who love PolicyMic but have limited time to contribute?

CR: I wrote a lot while I was on Christmas break from school, but once classes started up and I began my position at CEI, I no longer had the time to write consistently. I plan to start pumping out articles quicker than ever this summer.

 If you don’t have a lot of time to write, always be thinking about what you could be writing when you see news stories. Constantly think about how you could write a story from a different angle. Then, when you have time to write again, your mind will still be sharp enough to come up with great ideas quickly. Of course, I also recommend writing whenever you get the time – even if you can’t be consistent with your posts, it’s good for your mind and for PolicyMic if you write whenever you can.

CC: If you could change one thing that's happened during your PolicyMic experience thus far, what would it be?

CR: The first article I ever posted was on Wisconsin’s 'Right to Work' law, and how 'Right to Work' is good for the economy. I cited some secondary sources, cited some sources erroneously, and, looking back, the entire article was kind of awful.

One PolicyMic user commented that my citations were off and that the reader couldn’t be sure that what I was writing was true – she basically tore me a new one in the comments section.

It was really embarrassing for me but I don’t think I’ve cited a secondary source or messed up like that since (and I doubt that I ever will again).

CC: What's the ideal outcome that could result from your using PolicyMic as a platform to share your opinions?

CR: The ideal outcome for me is that someone in politics would read one of my posts and decide to push for new legislation, or that people read my posts regularly so that my articles can put pressure on politicians. That would be a dream.

CC: Let's go offline. What do you like to do when you're not PolicyMic-ing?

CR: I really enjoy playing basketball at Georgetown (especially now that March Madness has begun), going to dinner with friends and watching Modern Family. I also like working at CEI - (it sounds odd but the people are great and I love what I do) - and going to political events like CPAC. But there’s nothing like going back to San Diego to go to the beach and eat fish tacos with my family and friends.

CC: Your turn to do the asking. Something you'd like to know from one of our staff?

CR: My question is for Jake Horowitz. "In 5-10 years, what do you see as PolicyMic's role in the media world- i.e. Do you see PolicyMic competing with the likes of Buzzfeed or even the NY Post or Times?  What is your ultimate goal for PolicyMic and what is the best way to make that happen?"

Jake Horowitz: PolicyMic has an important role to play in giving millennials a platform to read, write about, and discuss the news in a smart and engaging way. We are not trying to compete with the NY Times or Buzzfeed, but rather, create a new type of media site - a high-quality, social news experience for millennials which is fun, informative, and helps to empower our generation. We want PolicyMic to become the place where millions of young people talk about the news every day. The best way to make this happen is to continue focusing on quality and growing our community organically, and to continue innovating and listening to our community as we grow larger.

CC: Christian, thank you. You rock. You've been tremendously helpful in spreading the good word about PolicyMic and sharing your thoughtful perspectives with our community.

For more news on Christian, follow him on Twitter: @C_Rice3