In his March 19, 2019 column, The Washington Posts‘s David Ignatius posits that Donald Trump may be vulnerable in 2020 in the Rust Belt because he made such “extravagant” promises while courting voters there in 2016. In the face of closures like that of GM’s Lordstown, Ohio plant this month, Ignatius argues that embracing new technologies and innovation, rather than trying to “turn back the clock” is the key to success.

Another key ingredient, Ignatius writes, is being welcoming to refugees. He references one of Our Towns’ 10 characteristics of communities successfully adapting to change is that they, “make themselves open.”