Romney outlines policy strategies in 67-page booklet

Mitt Romney yesterday released a compendium of most of his major policy pronouncements, creating a corporate-style strategic plan of what he would do as president on a spectrum of issues, including what to do about Islamic terrorism and how to protect children from online pornography.

Candidates for major offices often put out a core policy agenda in booklet form. But Romney's 67-page document, the first of its kind among the major Republican presidential candidates this cycle, underscores his desire to be seen as a substantive, experienced candidate who has acquired a thorough understanding of both domestic and foreign policy.

In a series of policy outlines and reprints of speeches Romney has given to groups such as the Club for Growth and the National Right to Life Convention, "Strategy for a Stronger America" presents a staunchly conservative candidate who believes American strength is the key to world peace and prosperity.

In the introduction, he says that America's future "depends on our willingness to hold to the principles that have guided and built our nation." He wants to beef up the military, get tougher on dictators and radical Islamic jihadists, cut taxes, end illegal immigration, and "promote a culture of life."

"I think the picture is, 'I'm a fairly orthodox conservative,' " said Charlie Arlinghaus, president of the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, a think tank in Concord, N.H. "There's precious little there you wouldn't see in the Heritage Foundation talking points."

Among other things, the compilation (viewable and downloadable at mittromney.com) advocates establishing strict limits on federal spending and conducting a "stem to stern review" - borrowing his own memorable phrase he used last year to describe a sweeping safety inspection of the Big Dig - of all federal spending programs. He discusses the need to reduce healthcare costs by deregulating state markets and discouraging frivolous lawsuits against doctors.

But rather than strike a note of Reaganesque optimism about the future, as Romney tries to do on the stump, the document presents a stark worldview of an America under assault from all sides. A sampling of section headlines: "Confronting Radical Jihad," "Strengthening Latin American Allies and Confronting Tyrants," "Ending the Tide of Illegal Immigrants," and "Confronting Threats to American Culture, Values and Freedoms."

"It's very dramatic language," said Wayne Lesperance, a professor of political science at New England College in Henniker, N.H. "This is designed to elicit a reaction."

Lesperance said Romney appears to be trying to appeal to the GOP's conservative base by painting a stark picture of a very difficult world and presenting himself as the solution. Romney, he added, might have decided to issue the booklet just after Fred Thompson entered the race to shore up his own credentials among conservatives, whom Thompson is also courting. The depth and breadth of the document contrasts sharply with Thompson's stump speech, which has been panned by pundits as vague and underwhelming.

"Strategy for a Stronger America" is long on pictures of the candidate (it features no fewer than 22 images of Romney - giving a lecture in front of a map of the world, standing alongside schoolchildren, jotting something down as he talks on the phone). And like most policy booklets, it contains more than a few long, jargon-filled sentences.

In the 1992 election, Democrat Paul Tsongas famously marketed his policy ideas to the masses in a treatise called "A Call to Economic Arms"; later that campaign, Bill Clinton issued his own booklet, "Putting People First." Most major candidates have followed suit, publishing white papers meant not for policy gurus but for the masses.

"One of Romney's claims to fame is that he is that guy who can write a good business plan, [and] put all the moving parts together," Arlinghaus said. "This is the thing you can wave around, saying, 'I've put out an agenda where I tell you exactly where we need to go, because we need a plan, and I'm the man with the plan.' "

Lisa Wangsness can be reached at lwangsness@globe.com.