The Art of the Haggle

Anyone who has prepared for an interview and received advice from friends and family is familiar with the idea of asking for more salary than required.  The employer will offer something less but higher than would have been offered if the 'real' goal salary had been revealed.  This is standard negotiation, seen in films and on TV with such regularity that everyone knows that haggling gets a better deal.  But what about legislative policy?  Are the wildly unlikely proposals of Donald Trump nothing more than an opening bid?  He proposed deporting 10 to 20 million illegals in his first year, something that would require a massive effort and considerable cost if done the way government traditionally does such things.  With this as President Trump's demand, what would Congress offer to satisfy him and his supporters; newly elected presidents have a lot of political capital to spend.  Or, what of his complete shutdown of all Muslim immigration?  Again, this is likely just the beginning of a negotiation.  Trump may even believe his stance is extreme but if he offers something more reasonable, he might get less than he really wants.  Recall, this is a man who wrote The Art of the Deal in the 1980s, a book that was a #1 best seller for a year.  Rather than being a nativist crackpot, perhaps Trump is bringing his business negotiation skills to politics.  He certainly can't negotiate worse deals than the Republicans have over the last 7 years.