Some may find presidential aspirant Hillary Clinton's keepin'-it-real-with-the-common-man act endearing, but it's really just pandering.

Defending her proposal to suspend the federal gas tax this summer to provide relief at the pump, she said on a Sunday morning political talk show that it didn't matter that most everybody who actually knows anything about the subject thinks it's an awful idea that will inevitably backfire. "Well, I'll tell you what, I'm not going to put my lot in with economists," she said.

Well, of course not! Who would actually consult and cavort with those high-falutin', elitest brainiacs? Certainly not an Ivy League-educated attorney, like herself.

On the one hand, if Clinton has all the answers herself, about everything, and won't be seeking the advice of economists on the economy -- or generals on the military, or doctors on health care issues, or lawyers on the law, or teachers on education, etc. -- then perhaps that should disqualify her for the White House. On the other hand, if she's misleading Americans about that because she wants votes in blue-collar states where it's popular to think the white collars are the source of all that's wrong with America -- essentially exploiting class friction for personal gain -- then maybe that should disqualify her, too.

Why? Because it goes to character. In chugging a mug or a shot at the corner tap and talking like she's a veteran of the assembly line, Clinton is pretending to be someone she is decidedly not. What else will she fudge about herself to fulfill her personal ambitions?

The Clintons are smart people, and Americans should want smart people in the White House. What they should be wary of in the Oval Office is a divider of questionable character. Haven't we had enough of that?

Peoria Journal Star