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Our View: What’s Stein’s recount game?

Green Party candidate for president Jill Stein apparently believes all’s fair in politics. Her blatant attempt to pave her way to office in the future ought to be remembered by voters. It is the very old-style politics so many voters are rejecting.

Stein, who garnered fewer than 1.5 million votes on Nov. 8, has been busy raising money to fund her demands for recounts in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. But during the weekend, she at one point said she would not pursue the matter in the Keystone State, insisting her party could not afford the $1 million bond needed to force state officials to conduct a recount. Later, she indicated she might take the state to court over the matter.

Early in her recount campaign, Stein said she needed $2.5 million in new contributions to make it happen. She has increased that constantly. Her most recent target was $9.5 million.

Already, she has raked in about $7 million.

Stein is well aware President-elect Donald Trump’s winning margins in the three states are large enough that it is virtually impossible recounts will change the results. In Pennsylvania, he outpaced rival Hillary Clinton by nearly 50,000 votes.

So what is Stein’s game?

Clearly, she is attempting to raise money under false pretenses. Either she needs it to pay off 2016 campaign debts or she wants a foundation for her political activities in the future.

At the same time, Stein hopes any opposition to Trump makes her more popular among Democratic voters.

In other words, she is playing voters and grassroots campaign contributors for suckers.

Americans signaled last month they have had enough of that kind of mistreatment.

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