The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an op-ed today by the Alliance for American Manufacturing’s (AAM) Executive Director Scott Paul.

Paul encourages the 2012 presidential candidates to share the dream of voters like the respondents in AAM’s recent poll:

Voters fervently hope for a day when America again leads the world in making things. They want their leaders to share that dream -- and to do what's necessary to make it a reality. A presidential candidate who fails to articulate a bold national manufacturing strategy will have trouble winning in November.

Manufacturing jobs are particularly important to Pennsylvanians, especially with regards to China.

As Paul mentions:

China, which alone accounts for an estimated 15,000 Pennsylvania jobs lost each year, was a top concern of the voters surveyed.

…

China's predatory trade practices have a direct impact on Pennsylvania's 80,000 steelworkers. This year, China is compensating for its slowing domestic economy by ramping up exports of steel to the United Sates through continued undervaluation of its currency. Keeping its currency undervalued relative to the U.S. dollar helps to artificially lower the price of China's steel and other exports and has contributed to the loss of nearly 2 million U.S. manufacturing jobs since 2001.

Read the op-ed here.