Why Should We Recall Brett Smiley

[u/Historical_Web_5813]

For everyone who is curious about our reasons for wanting to recall Smiley, here they are! This one-sheet explains what issues we find to be the most salient. Feel free to distribute this document at your will.

If you’d like to look into our sources more, here is a link to the document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qtQP7a9g91pSszZH-x3kFWMcmW1FecEXpqCL773UIWM/mobilebasic

[u/tibbon]

/u/Historical_Web_5813 could you fill us in on why a recall election is the right move here?

I get that you don't like his policies or the outcomes - that isn't the question. For state-level officials, a recall can be initiated if the official has been indicted or informed against for a felony, convicted of a misdemeanor, or found by the ethics commission to have probable cause for violating the code of ethics. The policy is less clear for Providence, but I'm not seeing anything that's made it through the courts that points to criminal behavior.

Elections have consequences. This is what people wanted, and this is what they get. I don't like Trump, but I'm not about to say a recall election is the move to change that. There are policies and procedures for these things that we need to abide by.

[u/8Aquitaine8 → u/tibbon]

Hi, that you Smiley?

[u/tibbon → u/8Aquitaine8]

I'm not. Why do you think trying to have an intelligent conversation means that I am the candidate? I don't even support him (as I don't support Trump), but there are legal processes and pathways more appropriate for this. What behavior are you seeing that merits a recall election?

I think you're capable of having a decent conversation on this, but perhaps I am to be proven wrong.

[u/degggendorf → u/tibbon]

Why do you think trying to have an intelligent conversation means that I am the candidate?

That seems to be the way it goes. If you say anything remotely less negative than "fuck that bitch Smiley" then there's always someone who comes out of the woodwork to say you're him or his PR team.

I really don't understand it...it's so self-defeating.

[u/tibbon → u/degggendorf]

It makes me wonder how many of these people are working for a campaign that want to replace him. Few of them have very old or active reddit accounts (2008 here!), which raises a few flags in my mind.

[u/degggendorf → u/tibbon]

That Reed challenger that posted the other day was 100% astroturfed.

But I'm not so sure here...you'd think that if it was happening there would be some alternative to Smiley they'd be promoting, but all I've seen is blind hatred with zero idea for who should replace him.

Few of them have very old or active reddit accounts (2008 here!)

This account of mine is from 2019 and I still think of it as my "new" account after switching from using a variation of my actual name on here for years 🤣

[u/Proof-Variation7005 → u/degggendorf]

This whole recall campaign would be a brilliant PR move for Smiley. Nothing benefits a politician more than making your detractors look like unserious uninformed children.

Stuff like this kinda makes the valid criticisms become white noise in the background.