Each successive phase of The Donald’s unfettered dash to the center ring of the GOP POTUS primary circus has been a schadenfreud moment for conservative Americans. An awakened & restless conservative base is exhausted feigning enthusiasm for yet another in a string of party-loyal status-quo career politicians.

America’s voters are at a historic intersection. Call it a tipping-point moment where the glaring differences between party beliefs, if enacted through legislation will either complete our country’s march toward social democracy, tap the brakes, or the longer-odds outcome- stop it.

Any GOP candidate having trouble stating with certainty where he or she stands in relation to the competition deserves failure. Yet, even in the face of the success of Trump’s opprobriums, the status-quo candidates revert to instinct, softening their messages so as not to offend… with indifference to public sentiment, the din of slow-cooker iterative change drones on.

The Left sure doesn’t have this problem. Like it, hate it, make your choice, but review the Left’s 2016 POTUS platform as advertised by the leading candidates and marvel at their ability to stay on the script:

• Bigger Federal Government- erode State’s rights; expand government spending on entitlements & programs
• Higher Taxes
• Increase Government Regulation
• Punish Success- feature “the rich” as virtually criminals
• Free college for all
• Income Equality forced by government fiat
• Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants and their families
• Racism is alive & thriving in the US; harsh action is required; Voting Rights have been set back to Jim Crow era- beat the drum of victimhood
• Cut military spending and lead from behind in world affairs
• Squash attacks on Big Labor’s domination of the public education system

For many, The Donald is the quintessential guilty pleasure as he taps into a politically starved segment of voters- frustrated at best, and more likely, angry at a GOP that values fealty and image over action, and eschews risk to assure a grip on power.

Witness-John McCain; Mitt Romney…turn head…hold nose…pull handle…repeat. All the while, the GOP polls its base, then, predictably ignores the data because it doesn’t fit the leadership’s narrative. The party pretends to mull and ponder the paucity of GOP voter turn-out; steadfastly refusing to acknowledge what conservatives & right leaning moderates, as the amalgam of the party really desire. The Donald has taped their eyelids open and forced them to look through his lens. Staring back at them is this base & they are frightened of what they see. Some lessons are apparently harder to learn than others…two losses in a row don’t seem to be doing the trick.

Now on to the fun part…the party’s pants are at their ankles, they’ve been Don-spanked and they’re sniffling- reluctantly paying attention now. How does The Donald win? He wins by making a major strategic and tactical course change I call “the pivot”.

The last debate was a missed opportunity to execute the pivot. The moderators at CNN gleefully announced ahead of time that the focus of their questions would align toward a sole purpose- ignite dissention among the candidates and fuel bickering for public theater. Questions would stir Trump’s competitors to attack him without pause.

Oddly, he seemed unprepared, like a batter standing at the plate, having been given the other team’s pitching signs…he knew exactly what was coming, but his swings were clumsy; without aim or finesse.

Two scenarios…he’s rope-a-doping, judging that the moment is not right to execute the pivot, or…he lacks the intellect and innate strength of character & personality to adapt, change and exploit this opportunity, or even worse, not thinking that he needs to. Time will tell if it is the former or the latter at work. Under the scenario that favors the former, here’s how the pivot would work.

Pivot- Phase I- during the start of the debate when each candidate makes his or her thirty-second opening remarks- implement a version of the drill one does when on fire…STOP-DROP & COMPLIMENT.

“Good evening. As the current presumptive leader for the GOP nomination for POTUS I welcome my colleagues to this stage and state with sincerity that as opposed to Hillary, Joe, Martin or Bernie, each one of these folks up here with me tonight would make a terrific (TD loves this word) POTUS. I’ll say more about that as the night goes on.

For the last six months I have purposely campaigned as an agitator. I find it ironic that I’ve become a sort of community organizer…who would have thought? Here’s what’s even funnier …it ain’t that hard a job.  I’ve taken every opportunity to provoke the status-quo and express publically, with purposeful disregard to political correctness, exactly what conservatives and a significant segment of independent voters have been thinking as they’ve watched our country careen downhill toward a transformation into a social democracy for the last seven years. I’m lucky and blessed…I’ve made a ton of money as a businessman for the last forty years, and I don’t have to take orders from anyone, so I get to speak plainly. Here’s what my supporters have said- this fundamental transformation of life we’ve witnessed in the last seven years in the US is wrong, and it has to stop and it has to stop now.

 Look at the polls folks, stunning support, it’s time to elect a president that will accept no compromise. Tonight, with the help of my colleagues on this stage, I will lay out exactly how I will change course. If I’m ultimately unsuccessful becoming the nominee, my best hope is that one of my colleagues up here tonight will accept the responsibility, accept no compromise and do what is right for our country with no mind toward career, legacy or popularity ”.

 At this point, after each of the other candidates has concluded opening remarks, the CNN moderator- Jake Tapper’s first question is directed to Carly Fiorina, with the direct intent of provoking an attack on Trump…this is an exact quote:

TAPPER: “Mrs. Fiorina, I want to start with you. Fellow Republican candidate, and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, has suggested that your party’s frontrunner, Mr. Donald Trump, would be dangerous as President. He said he wouldn’t want, quote, “such a hot head with his finger on the nuclear codes.”

You, as well, have raised concerns about Mr. Trump’s temperament.

You’ve dismissed him as an entertainer. Would you feel comfortable with Donald trump’s finger on the nuclear codes?”

 Pivot-Phase II occurs when Trump exploits his thirty second rebuttal period after CF’s answer.

“Listen, Mr Tapper- you announced ahead of this debate that every question you ask this evening intends to provoke attacks and bickering among me and my colleagues, with specific emphasis on me as the current front-runner. Congratulations on keeping your word. Great TV for your company & nicely done for the Democrats your network favors, but answering your questions the way you’ve designed them won’t reveal that we are each serious folks committed to reversing our country’s slide to all out socialism, while we’re going broke drowning in debt, with a devastated middle-class, depression era unemployment, and marching toward obscurity and disrespect among the global community. The stakes are too high Mr Tapper for this to be a sideshow- I will not use this time to denigrate anyone on this stage. One of these folks, or me, is going to be the GOP candidate for POTUS, this is serious business, not entertainment- and I for one will not turn this into the spectacle you want it to be- like a professional wrestling match. I respectfully ask you to frame questions that allow me and my colleagues to tell America what we stand for…let the voters determine our strengths and weaknesses for themselves.”

 By now readers, you can see where the pivot is going. The Donald uses this debate to fundamentally change his campaign style and pivot toward being a uniter. Let’s keep going though because the real fireworks are yet to come. Imagine at this point that the other folks on the stage, like the moderators, are totally unprepared for this pivot. The result is that the provocative questions continue, the attacks continue, but The Donald swats them back- each time asking for a change in the dialogue. Phase III of the pivot explodes when The Donald, rather than counter-punching after an attack, compliments each candidate who just attacked him, and uses a specific plank of their campaign that he admires and agrees with. For example, to Rand Paul:

“Rand, I’ve watched your campaign to see your ideas…your emphasis on the urgent need to focus on our government’s fiscal responsibility is really important. Our $18 trillion dollar debt that is growing every day will cripple our country forever if we don’t fix it. Every American needs to hear your message and understand why its so important to the future of our children, and to every American who works hard for a real chance of improving their family’s quality of life.”

 Pivot-Phase IV is the evening’s coup de grace for The Donald. During the continued back & forth discussions, and final wrap-up question, Trump announces his boldest vision yet…he states his five pillars:

“Here’s what America needs to know about what I’ll focus on when I’m president. Five things, and they’re important, they’re urgent, and they will be all-consuming as I work with Congress to get these things done. We won’t have much time…if I’m president in early 2017 and we still have a majority in both houses of Congress, then with unanimity of purpose, these five things will happen…if they do, then lots of other stuff that’s important can also happen:

• A Balanced Federal Budget- no trick, no gimmicks
• Sensible Immigration System Reform featuring a inpenetrable border; deportation of illegal immigrant criminals; and sensible& achievable disposition of the 11-15 million folks living in our country illegally at this time
• Reform Social Security & MediCare to insure the long-term viability of these critical programs
• Re-write Federal Tax Laws- simplify the code; lower taxes; stimulate business through tax policy
• Dissolve Federal Government Agencies that inhibit the economic and social advancement of our country

 The final transformation of Trump’s campaign culminates with the following announcement as he segues to his last comment:

“If you elect me president, I will fulfill the four-year term in office and I will not seek re-election to a second term. Further, as my vice-president, one of the people on this stage if he or she accepts the offer, will act as a virtual chief operating officer in my administration. Our goals are too important to relegate the role of vice president to baby-kissing, state funerals & photo-ops. There are folks sharing this stage tonight who have phenomenal experience running governments and businesses. I need their help. Thanks America, I hope I can make these dreams come true for our great country”

 So, there you have it…THE PIVOT. Ask yourself how the pundits would have spoken the day after this fictitious version of the great debate. Would Trump’s poll numbers have fallen? I contend that if he executes the pivot, and sticks to the narrative, he would build an insurmountable lead, seize the GOP nomination, and go into the general election having sucked all the air out of the room. Hey Donald…get in touch. I know how you could win this whole thing in a land-slide.