POLITICS: Anti-democracy Democrats are playing ballot games to boost Kamala Harris’ chances

Hmm: Democrats are fighting to get third-party candidates Jill Stein and Cornel West off the ballot in multiple states — while simultaneously battling to keep RFK Jr. on some states’ ballot even after he’s withdrawn.

“Defending democracy” sure is a tricky business.

Of course, the “principle” at stake here is nothing but “what’s best for Kamala Harris.”

Stein and West, both serious lefties, will siphon off votes likely to otherwise go to the Democrat; leaving Kennedy on (the calculation goes, anyway) will cost Donald Trump more votes than it does Harris.

And never mind that RFK’s campaign had to battle to get on most ballots back when he threatened to cost Dems more votes (which is what polling indicated when Joe Biden was still the nominee).

This also follows Democratic efforts — quashed by the Supreme Court — to keep Donald Trump off the ballot in multiple states.

Not to mention Dems’ years-long strategy of intervening in GOP primaries to boost extremist candidates who they figure will be easier to beat in the general election.

It all makes a mockery of Democrats’ supposed concern for voters’ rights and clean elections.

“Elections” where you can’t vote for the candidate you want are a hallmark of tyrannical regimes like Iran, Venezuela, China and the old Soviet Union.

In Wisconsin, the state Supreme Court just denied Democrats’ request to have Jill Stein removed from the ballot, a ruling Stein rightly called a “big win against the anti-Democratic Party’s war on democracy.”

Anti-democratic, indeed: In Michigan, state Democrats challenged West’s candidacy, and the Board of Elections tried to have him disqualified by claiming his affidavit of identity wasn’t properly notarized.

Meanwhile, RFK Jr., who dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump on Aug. 23, is trying to pull his name off the ballot in swing states to avoid playing spoiler.

But Democrat-run Wisconsin and Michigan denied Kennedy’s request to leave the ballot, with Wisconsin Democratic Board of Elections member Mark Thomsen telling Kennedy’s camp: “You’re not going to be able to cut a deal with someone and play last-minute games. . . . We know Trump and Kennedy are playing games.”

Only Democrats get to play games, including switching out Biden for Harris once they realized Joe was a sure loser.

They keep saying “democracy is on the ballot” this year, but (to quote Inigo Montoya) we don’t think that word means what they think it means.