As I have said a number of times, Trump’s plans are designed to be opening bids to set the table for the negotiations to follow. He says that clearly and often. He even put it in writing in his book. To me, Trump sounds like the most reasonable person in the room. If you don’t start with a big ask, you aren’t the right person to be president. Bernie Sanders has big asks too, and like Trump, he probably assumes he will negotiate to something less perfect.

This is the single most important explanation for why both Bernie and Trump have made such strides; like Ron Paul, they didn't immediately concede the field. Instead they seem devoted to a higher ideal (winning, communism, liberty) and can compromise in the pursuit of that goal, without losing sight of it. In contrast the establishment bozos have no goal except power, which any sane peasant opposes.

This is also consistent with Adams' "systems versus goals" argument; the Elites' career politicians and generals could be voluntarily employed were they not the crude thinkers that they are. Ron, Trump and Bernie are all taking systematic, long-game approaches. However, a more coherent explanation of all this comes from Sun Tzu; in the end persuasion is the fatal flaw in Adams' argument. After all, the greatest trick of the hypnotist is convincing you that their techniques work (they actually don't).