Two American icons vied for the attention of Senate Republicans during their caucus lunch Thursday. One was represented by a clown wearing a red wig and floppy shoes, the other by a group of nervous and excited schoolkids clutching their carefully prepared presentations on the Declaration of Independence.

The clown won.

After late-arriving GOP senators delayed the start of the lunch, they had to compress their scheduled availability during their public lunch. With the exception of a brief question-and-answer session, the schoolchildren's presentations were left unheard.

The clown's bosses, however, were able to make their pitch about the positive contributions that McDonald's franchises make to Utah's employment and tax revenue. And they promised senators that they would "be hearing from your local owner/operators" to discuss their concerns.

The caucus lunch was sponsored by the McDonald's contingent, though there was nary a Big Mac in sight.

The question-and-answer session about the finer points of the Declaration of Independence was held while senators lunched. Luckily, organizers had prepared a script for the senators to use to quiz the kids. Questions like, "What is a tyrant?" and "What does despotic mean?" helped the legislators stay on topic.

The event was coordinated by the Hunter Lions Club as part of "Liberty Day" activities, a day devoted to remembering the founding of America. Former Utah Sen. Bill Barton is a member of the Hunter Lions and was on hand to introduce the group from North Star Scholars Association, a Commonwealth school, which are formed when a group of volunteer home-school parents formally organize under a governing body.

Stephanie Sevoss, a home-school parent with two sons, Kannon and Kadence, said the middle-school aged students were in a scholarship class with other home-schooled students studying the Declaration of Independence. The class is intended to cultivate the concept of scholarly work and to give the students peer time.

Barton said his group was not aware that it would be sharing presentation time, with a clown or otherwise, at the caucus gathering.

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E-mail: araymond@desnews.com