• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, January 2, 2019

Day 12 of the government shutdown and the news cycle has been successfully commandeered by the President’s demands for funding a wall on the Southern border.

His defenders say it’s not a real wall, but a metaphor for a secure border.

Metaphors abound with this presidency, even if it’s not always clear what they represent.

During today’s cabinet meeting, the President sat with a “Game of Thrones”-styled poster in front of him, trumpeting “Sanctions Are Coming -- November 5,” for no apparent reason.

It was never referred to in the meeting, which mainly focused on the protracted government shutdown, the need for border wall funding, Senator-elect Mitt Romney’s Washington Post op-ed criticizing the President’s character, and a bizarre litany of quips and sound bites trying to cast the blame on “obstructionist” Democrats. 

That's despite the fact the President previously held a televised meeting with Democrats saying he would take ownership for the shutdown. Oh, and a shoutout to Kanye West.

In other words, the third year of this White House administration started out much the same way as the first two: lots of misdirections intended to distract America from what’s really going on: a dysfunctional presidency.

But things are about to get very real starting tomorrow when Democrats assume control of the House — and the ability to shift the narrative back to checks and balances.

That was underscored by Vanity Fair’s “The Watchdogs” piece, which was accompanied by a powerful photo of new House of Representatives committee chairs Elijah Cummings, Jerry Nadler, Adam Schiff, Maxine Waters and Richard Neal, who looked like they’re ready for business.