CLARION, Pa. – Featuring candidates for various offices in the November general election, the Clarion County Republican party will hold its annual family picnic for party faithful on September 15, chairman Rick Rathfon announced this week.
“We frequently hear that each general election is ‘the most important in decades,’ but that statement has never been more accurate than the choices voters face this year,” the chairman said in announcing the picnic, which will be held at the Clarion County Park in Paint Township. Registration for attendees will begin at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 6 p.m.
Meat and beverages will be provided, and each attendee is requested to bring a covered dish to share with others who gather for food, fun, and a “pep rally” focusing on the fall election, Rathfon said. The event will also feature door prizes, and fun events will be scheduled for the kids.
The party leader said confirmation has been received that Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson, whose sprawling Fifth Congressional District includes a large section of Clarion County along with many other counties in western and central Pennsylvania, will be in attendance. Also currently booked for the gathering will be State Senator Scott Hutchison and State Representative Donna Oberlander.
Rathfon said he is still awaiting response from Senator John Rafferty, candidate for state attorney general, along with Otto Voit, candidate for state treasurer, and John Brown, the party’s standard bearer for auditor general. Congressman Mike Kelly, whose district includes southern Clarion County, has sent his regrets about not being able to attend because of a schedule conflict, Rathfon added.
He underlined his invitation to county GOP voters by emphasizing what is at stake in the general election, where the attention has been centered on selecting a new president, along with members of Congress and numerous state offices across the nation.
“The future of the Supreme Court — and likely of our nation as we have known and loved it — hangs in the balance with this election. The choices between the political philosophies of the two major parties could not be more different. The next president most likely will get to appoint two or three new justices to the high court, and if Hillary Clinton wins, the odds are overwhelming that we will see liberal judges whose decisions will seriously threaten the rights we have long held as guarantees — freedom of religion, freedom of speech, the Second Amendment right to own guns, the right to life for the unborn — and a host of others rights.”
Continuing his emphasis upon the importance of the fall election, Rathfon observed that the differences between the two major parties is “more significant than ever,” adding, “I cannot believe that even most thinking Democrats cannot feel comfortable with some of the positions advanced by Hillary Clinton. She had publicly said ‘deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs, and structural biases will have to be changed.’”
Concluding his invitation to Republicans, Rathfon said he “sincerely believes” that what is being advocated by the Democratic nominee for president, and endorsed by her party’s platform, “in no way reflects the sincere beliefs of much of America, including Clarion County. While the major cities, long controlled by Democratic leadership, promote a liberal philosophy that has failed to protect their people, well educate their children for today’s society, and faithfully adhere to our Constitution, rural Americans still believe our founding fathers were truly inspired by a higher power when they drafted and adopted the Constitution.
“In the 2012 presidential election, an estimated 17 million evangelical Christian did not vote, and we cannot allow that to happen again if we are to survive as a nation of free people. Our September 15 picnic is being held to rally party faithful and motivate them to help restore America starting right here at home, where we still care about our nation, out religious convictions, our right to own firearms, and the expectation of an even better future for our kids, rather than a view that government knows best about everything.”
