Christianist Watch

by Chris Bodenner
Evangelicals within the Iowa GOP have barred Sen. Grassley, the state's highest-ranking Republican, from joining the delegation in St. Paul:

Political observers in Iowa saw the move against Mr. Grassley as retribution for his having tangled with evangelical pastors in his state. He initiated a Senate Finance Committee investigation of six televangelists for conspicuous personal spending.
...
"The Republican Party of Iowa is moving significantly to the right on social issues," the just-ousted Iowa [RNC] member Steve Roberts told The Washington Times. ... "It's pretty well controlled now by the Christian Alliance. If somebody came to me and wanted to be a delegate to the national party convention, I used to say, 'Talk to the state party chairman or to Grassley.' Now it's very simple. You go to the Christian Alliance, and they determine who is a delegate, and you have to do exactly as they say."