As the Republican presidential nomination process begins to heat up, it has become obvious to me that America is badly in need of strong third party candidates.

For months now, I have been predicting an eventual split in the Republican party that would eventually leave America with three strong political parties.

This split, which I still believe is coming, and would be a welcome change, would politically separate Republicans into Christian conservatives and uh, other conservatives.

I noticed a marked change in the political make-up of the GOP as the “Religious Right” rose in influence and popularity, squeezing out formerly powerful Republicans as one’s religious beliefs became a much larger determinant in political affiliation. Most notable among the Republican casualties was Jack Kemp, once a strong contender for president, now content to watch today’s happenings a relative distance from the spotlight.

This difference in political agendas among Republicans became readily apparent when Kemp announced that he would not be seeking the Republican presidential nomination because his own views were at odds with many of his GOP counterparts.

This surely must have frustrated Kemp supporters (like me) who lost the opportunity to see their candidate enjoy major political party support.

A third party is necessary in America not only because of differences in ideology among those called conservatives, but because many conservatives are growing tired of being associated with people like Rush Limbaugh, Pat Buchannan and the leader of the Christian Coalition, Pat Robertson.

I personally don’t like being associated with a man that on Labor Day addressed our president as “Stupid,” spews forth a lot of questionable political rhetoric, and then, when caught in error or asked to debate political opponents, hides behind his “I’m just an entertainer” schpeel.

I don’t like being associated with someone like Pat Buchannan, whose own party agrees his views are too extreme for a presidential candidate. I find it interesting that many people support him, but then claim his own views would get him stomped in a presidential race like a narc at a biker rally.

Pat Robertson is just darn scary. A man who has on more than one occasion blamed social problems on a “Jew conspiracy” and then has the audacity to speak about love for other human beings is too twistedly hypocritical to be believed.

While I would fully support a third “conservative” party, do not mistake that support for a slander against all Christian conservatives.

Most whose political agendas are guided by the Bible are not as twisted as ol’ Pat. To classify all Christian conservatives as Bible-beating fascists quoting scripture and exploiting the Bible to achieve their own selfish ends would be ridiculous and prejudiced.

I find the current backlash against certain Christian groups scary in that some people feel it is fine to ridicule Christians because of their religious beliefs, a practice that they wouldn’t think of utilizing when referring to other religious groups. Respect for our differences are vital, and whether those differences make us a part of the “accepted norm” or “alternative” really isn’t the issue at all.

But it is legitimate to note the marked differences in those who are guided by their own set of moral values, and those who have decided to let God’s moral values be their own. One is not more “moral” than the other, but the difference in motivation is distinct.

Perhaps my prediction will never come about; perhaps the GOP will remain unified.

But Ross Perot’s presidential bid in 1992 demonstrated one thing: there are many voters out there who no longer can identify with either major political party, and they are ready to search for an alternative.

And as I watch my former party’s focus drift away more and more from what caused me to support it in the first place, I am forced to ask myself, “Where is the candidate that reflects my views?”

He’s not running, because he can’t find enough support in a major party.

Every day the differences between what are known as conservatives become more distinct to me, and I am finding I no longer have a party.

Perhaps this is because I fit into the category (as much as I hate categories) described in a recent magazine. Many young people are becoming what was thought to be a political oxymoron: socially “liberal” and fiscally “conservative.”

However you group us, there is a gnawing feeling that while GOP candidates argue who is the most “conservative,” former GOP supporters are wondering, “Where do my ideas fit in?”

As we watch the Republican race continue, it’s becoming glaringly obvious that neither we, nor our ideas, fit in at all.

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Tim Davis is a junior. He is the Daily’s opinion page editor.