Excellent post Bobsays.  You nailed it.   I would add that successive Federal Governments have drank the Kool- Aid  of globalization by doing free trade deals with low wage countries that has sucked away most of our consumer manufacturing. And they are currently working on a deal to give China easier access to our natural resources.
Buy way of example - Not a ten minute drive from where I'm posting; a manufacturing plant relocated to Mexico about eight years ago taking 600 jobs with it. Not one politician  connected with this area said Boo about it. The building has been converted to retail. Probably employs fewer than 100 at minimum wage.