While the primary and caucus calendar continues to be condensed, the presidential candidate debates seem to plod on and on. As more people start tuning into the debates, let's hope the candidates and moderators start getting serious about more issues that matter to voters.

So far, we've figured out who believes in evolution and who doesn't, who gets response time and who doesn't (sorry, Mike Gravel and Ron Paul), who would meet with dictators and who wouldn't, and we've had some pretty serious policy discussions on Iraq, terrorism, and health care.

But we've heard nothing more than whispers about jobs so far. With an unsettled market, a mortgage and housing mess, massive trade deficits, and net job loss last month (including 47,000 lost manufacturing jobs), that should change -- and change soon. We need a national strategy to grow jobs, spur domestic innovation, and strengthen our manufacturing base.

We need to jumpstart the talk about jobs. That's why the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) has partnered with actor John Ratzenberger (of Cheers fame and Travel Channel's Made in America show) to host a national series of seven "Keep It Made In America" Town Hall meetings this fall.

Our first event is on Tuesday, September 25th in Manchester, New Hampshire. If you're in New England, come join us. If you are watching the New Hampshire Democratic candidate debate the following night, see if the candidates got the message. And feel free to discuss the debates on our blog, ManufactureThis.

This blog is cross-posted on The Huffington Post.