I once edited the weekly newspaper that served Chesterfield County, Va. I know and like those folks. So color me proud of them after the reception they gave President Obama yesterday:

On Wednesday afternoon, Obama stood at a lectern against a backdrop of firefighters and offered his prescription for solving the persistent jobs crisis: “A fair shot for everybody; a fair share from everybody. That’s the principle that built America.”

The president got a polite reception from the 100 or so people crowded into the station garage. Early in his speech he mentioned his American Jobs Act.

One or two people clapped.

“You can go ahead and clap,” the president said. “Go ahead, nothing wrong with it.”

I was reminded of the stand-up comedian who has to urge his audience that it’s OK to laugh at his jokes. I’m surprised Obama didn’t resort to tapping his microphone and saying, “Is this thing on? Testing. Testing.”