Sen. Jim Dabakis, D-Salt Lake City, is as far to the left of the political spectrum as Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, is to the right.
But the two joined Wednesday to persuade the Senate to give final passage of a resolution honoring "Hamilton," a rap musical about the life of founding father Alexander Hamilton that's currently on Broadway.
Dabakis dressed as King George III as he addressed the Senate, while Ivory stood next to him dressed in colonial attire as Hamilton.
"There are not a lot of things that my friend Representative Ivory and I agree on," Dabakis said, adding that, in fact, "We're suing each other."
But, "We both have found something we are passionate about" and joined forces on HCR12 to honor Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer and star of "Hamilton."
Dabakis said the musical "is in rap. It is the toast of Broadway," and "it is changing the focus of high schools and their view of history."
With Ivory whispering in Dabakis's ear, the Democrat attempted to quote some lyrics, saying, "The ten-dollar Founding Father without a father/ Got a lot farther/ By workin' a lot harder/ By bein' a lot smarter/ By bein' a self-starter/ By 14 they had placed him in charge of the trade and charter."
The resolution, which now goes to the Senate, uses other lyrics to urge "teachers, when possible and age-appropriate, to utilize the 'Hamilton' soundtrack to 'lay a strong enough foundation' in American history in today's students and '[they'll] blow us all away.' "
However, Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, warned that while Hamilton may be clever, it is also ribald. She voted against the resolution, worrying it could encourage young children to listen to inappropriate songs.
