Beltway Buzz    Eric Pfeiffer Reporting
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Right Fielder

While Romney’s views on abortion have shifted over the years, his other conservative credentials flow more easily. Even while negotiating with a state legislature overwhelmingly controlled by the opposing party, Romney has had some victories:

“He cut some programs, combined others, and looked for savings everywhere he could. In the end, he was forced to boost fees for a variety of government services by more than $200 million. ‘I know it’s kind of hard to distinguish between taxes and fees,’ he says, ‘but we stayed away from broad-based fee increases such as driver’s-license registrations.’ He says that balancing the budget without a tax hike has been his most significant accomplishment as governor.”

He also seems to be with most conservatives on immigration:

“Last year, the governor threatened to veto a bill that would have allowed illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses, but the legislation never made it to his desk. He actually did veto a bill that would have given illegal aliens the right to in-state tuition at public universities. He hasn’t taken a formal position on any of the federal immigration plans. ‘I’m against an amnesty and against anything that provides an incentive for people to come here illegally.’”

[Posted 06/01 02:20 PM]