Strengthening the relationship between citizens and their government requires tireless energy, vigilance, and creativity
This statement is a solution to the problem that they have proposed in this article, and it is worded nicely with an efficient solution to the issue. It was a great concluding statement.
Individual people empowered with a smartphone or even a microphone can be the purveyors of truth and can leverage that information to hold government accountable.
This is a great point. I'm sure president Trump would have had a following regardless, but social media plays a huge role in his campaign, and has definitely helped him get his words out.
The new dynamic between the government and citizens is not going to fix itself.
This implies that the relationship between the U.S. citizens and the government has changed over the years, and they are basically saying that the relationship could potentially improve if citizens would participate in civic engagement.
Civic engagement is not just for creating better policies but also for reinvigorating democratic practice
I think that this sentence really sums up the point that they are trying to get across to readers. They are trying to promote civic engagement and backing up the fact that it is useful by mentioning that it creates better policies.
The relationship between citizens and government is changing.
This is a great sentence to start the article with because it is very direct when it comes to telling readers what they are about to read about.
Participating in our community’s affairs, including but not limited to voting, is how we as citizens renew and strengthen the places we live.
This sentence tells readers of the article a powerful statement and conclusion; it also tells a solution to the issue.
As citizens, we need not think that the conflict between ideas and ideologies is bad. The push and pull between different points of view actually strengthens democracy.
This sentence represents a very good point. If people didn't talk about politics and share their ideologies, then what would be the point in democracy? It gets minds going and makes people want to participate in civil engagement.
As moderators of the George W. Bush Institute’s Democracy Talks series, we have spoken with experts in civic engagement, community renewal, and civil dialogue; leaders of civic organizations and elected officials; and authors and writers who have studied the barriers and identified solutions.
This sentence supports what the argument is claiming because while it doesn't release any facts, it still shows what they are going to do to prove their claim. It gives readers a hope that what they are reading is going to be factual.
Creating respectful debates requires leaders, as well as Americans in their communities, to be intentional about expanding civil dialogue, community engagement and civic renewal.
This sentence alone summarized what the article is going to be covering. This is probably the most important sentence in the article ahead of the supporting arguments. It really gives readers a head start to learn what they are going to be reading about. The statement following this one was also a way to emphasize their opinion.