Politics gets me out of bed in the morning It’s what really interests me. I’m a competitor, but I also feel like I’m contributing, whether it’s working on health-care policy in the White House or out here in Chicago.

Cutter frames politics as both vocation and competitive sport: it energizes her daily life (“gets me out of bed”) and satisfies an instinct to win (“I’m a competitor”). At the same time, she insists that political work is not merely partisan gamesmanship but a form of public service—“contributing” through tangible policy outcomes such as health-care reform. The contrast between “in the White House” and “out here in Chicago” suggests continuity between governing and campaigning/organizing: the arena changes, but the motivating blend of ambition and civic purpose remains. The quote thus defends political operatives as driven by impact as well as rivalry.