Government Assignment

The New Cities Institute Initiative is, in my opinion, a very worthy cause for the community. This initiative, if done properly can impact the community in a positive light. Of course, there are certain things that must be taken into consideration before such a project can be implemented. Such things include the public’s opinion on the project, interest groups within the community, the media, political parties, and elections.
Obviously, nothing will get accomplished if the public does not agree with what the people of the project want to do. The people of the project needs to keep in mind that what they do will be scrutinized by the community. By understanding this, the decisions that are made for the project should, in part, reflect what the public wants. The people of the project can determine what the community wants by having a meeting. In this meeting, all of the community members would be invited to give their opinion on what the project should focus on. The meeting would give the people of the community a chance to voice their opinion and quite possibly their support. It is important to have the public’s support because the more people who support the project, the more the project can do. The reason for this is because the more support available to it, the more attention it will get from influential people.
Another linkage that must be kept in our minds while we formulate this plan is to understand how interest groups can affect the project. Some of the interest groups within west liberty would be the women’s club and churches. Interest groups within the community, obviously have a great deal of power. They acquired this power because people of the community support them. Influential people are members of interest groups. Of course, these influential people have ties to people in office who can accomplish things for the project. If interest groups of the community support the project, then it will gain even more support to be able to do what has been stated. The more backing that the project receives, directly affects how much the project can accomplish. Of course, different interest groups could band together for the project. Unity would, of course, make things even better because everyone would be on the same page as far as the project is concerned.
Media also plays a role in the project because it can be used to add more light to what it is about. Radios, newspapers, and internet mediums would be the most viable options to get the project to the people. Without the media’s help, a large amount of people may never hear of the project. It is very important to at least get the basic information to the people. If the media is not used, optimum support will not be achieved and what the project may accomplish will be limited. It is not as complicated as it may sound. A simple radio message stating what the project is about or a group organization on facebook can draw a great deal of people to the project. Of course, each media outlet will appeal to different people. Facebook will tend to draw people of the younger generation while radio ads may very well draw people who are older. Each media outlet must be understood before it can be implemented effectively. Certain techniques that would work for facebook may not work for the radio which, in turn, may not work for television. Each media outlet is unique, and needs to be seen as such.
Political parties also play a role in the project. In a way, it ties in with some of the other linkages. If public opinion is in favor of the project, then politicians will try to associate themselves with it. The project will then gain a great deal of support from a large amount of people. However, some politicians will be wary to attach themselves onto the project due to the fact that the project could be a failure. If this does happen, the politician and his particular party affiliation will suffer because of it. They will suffer because that will give the other parties an opportunity to criticize the party for not having better judgment than what they had. It is a delicate process. In some cases, it doesn’t take much to sway voters from one party to another. In Morgan County, the party dynamic is democratic. Obviously, the democrats do not want to lose this power. Of course, their power could be lost if they make a hasty decision to support this project. That is the very reason as to why politicians will be cautious to associate themselves with the project. For the most part, politicians want to associate themselves with something that is popular with the public. Another way that political parties plays a role in the project is that whomever is in office at the time will impact what the project can accomplish. If the person in office agrees with the project, obviously, a good amount of things can be accomplished. However, if the people in office are against the project then, of course, the project will be limited as to what it may accomplish. This is another reason why the public must be taken seriously when the goals of the project are analyzed. The project needs to do things that the public wants to see accomplished.
Politics plays a role in the last linkage as well. For example, if an election was coming soon; politicians would be very careful to associate themselves to this project. Elections are, of course, a key process for politicians. No politician wants to associate themselves with something that will tarnish their career; especially during an election year. For instance, if someone was running for election and the project was popular; it would be obvious for the politician to try to associate himself with the project. The main thing, for most politicians, is to get elected. Of course, if the project was not popular and this was an election year; the project would not receive a great deal of attention from most politicians. As I stated in a previous paragraph, no politician wants to attach themselves onto something that they think will ultimately be a failure. They do not want to for two primary reasons. The first reason is, of course, because they do not want to hurt their future chances, and the second reason, perhaps most important, is they do not want to hurt their particular party. They fully understand that if they do something to hurt their party, it may take years before it can bounce back to the way that it was. Of course, the next election isn’t until next year, but that doesn’t mean that the local politicians will not be doing things now to ensure that they are elected or reelected back into their office. That is exactly why, if the project is popular, that the politicians will try to attach themselves to it so they can gain more support for themselves.