"GOP Green Group Drops 'Republicans' From Name"

"Republicans for Environmental Protection is dropping the 'Republican' — after 17 years of trying to demonstrate that a group can comfortably exist in today’s GOP while championing causes like global warming and opposition to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge."

"The group’s new name is ConservAmerica, a name that’s supposed to represent 'the inherent connection between conservation and conservatism' while appealing to an audience that has grown less party-affiliated.

'We’re seeing more and more independents out there,' said David Jenkins, the group’s vice president for governmental and political affairs. 'Messaging through a Republican frame doesn’t reach those people as well as reaching them through a conservative frame.'

Still, Jenkins insists that Republicans — and conservatives as a whole — haven’t really abandoned the environmental cause, despite what people may be hearing from talk radio hosts and many of the GOP’s elected officials. Jenkins doesn’t think the party’s membership has changed that much since 2008, when it nominated John McCain as president."

Bob King reports for Politico April 2, 2012.

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"Republican Environmental Group Drops 'Republican' From Its Name" (Huffington Post)