Broken promises

It's become a staple of every presidential campaign over the years: Candidates from both parties walk through a manufacturing plant and talk about how they will bring back the millions of blue collar jobs America has lost over the years.

In political terms, it's a can't-miss photo op.
The reality paints a far different picture. Like it or not, U.S. manufacturing has not returned to the level of job creation many politicians, including President Barack Obama, have promised.

Remember in the summer on 2012 when Obama gave his nomination acceptance speech and promised to create 1 million manufacturing jobs in his second term?

More from NBC News.