I was astounded to hear to Rush Limbaugh yesterday say essentially that he didn’t get why Donald Trump was saying that he liked Nancy Pelosi and other high profile liberal politicians, and that he could work with them as well as the Republican establishment to get things done in Washington.

Limbaugh said that strategy not only didn’t work for McCain and Romney, but that it has never worked for any Republican, either to get elected or help further the conservative agenda.

And now here comes Trump bragging on MSNBC, "I will work with Democrats," touting his friendships with Democrat leaders in the House and the Senate.  Maybe he thinks he's already got the primaries wrapped up.  Maybe he thinks he's got the nom.  I don't know, but this is the kind of thing the establishment, the mainstream Republican leadership in Washington, this is the kind of thing that they advocate. 

This is the kind of thing they think they need.  And the candidate they've been paranoid about, the candidate they've done everything they could to stop, the candidate they've been scared to death is gonna blow up and ruin their party is now out there echoing what they believe.  What do you make of this?  

Sean Hannity, Geraldo Rivera and Tucker Carlson seemed dumbfounded last night on the Hannity show that Trump has chosen to revive a feud with Fox News by citing unfairness as a reason for opting out of Thursday’s debate.

What Limbaugh and Fox News fail to understand is that everything Donald Trump does is part of a calculated strategy to do exactly what he boasts most about – winning.

Trump literally wrote the book on how to negotiate the best deal. And the entire point of negotiating a deal is to win. But not just win - to position yourself with a mandate to do whatever you need to do after you win to get the biggest profit. And most importantly, position yourself with enough leverage over your opponents that the next time you meet they don’t stand a chance.

About a week ago or so I heard someone question Trump about his admission that he would gladly negotiate with Pelosi and Reed to get his agenda passed. Of course the reporter followed-up by telling Trump that Republicans have tried that in the past and it didn’t work. Then Trump said something that few people, other than his supporters, picked up on. Trump said you’re exactly right, but I will win.

So what’s the strategy that Limbaugh and Fox News don’t understand?

Trump doesn’t just want to win a presidential election; Trump wants to win a mandate presidential election. And having a mandate as president is all part of the art of the deal. And with a mandate, Trump is a winner even before the negotiations begin. In which case, Trump can look Pelosi and the Republican establishment in the eye and say; I win - you lose.

Trump’s strategy is to get the necessary swing-votes of Democrats and Independents to give him a mandate to negotiate with. Trump must position himself as the candidate who, while running as a Republican, can guarantee swing-voters that he isn’t beholden to the likes of Limbaugh and Fox News, and that he’s his own man - and a true leader.

You can bet those swing-voters will be pulling the lever for Trump come November 2.