The most damaging aspect of balloon-gate for Beijing is that it caught the attention of most Americans who previously paid little attention to the challenge China poses on the United States. Now that this very tangible, bizarre and engaging story has made voters more aware -- and also painted China as the "bad guys" and the USA as the "good guys / victim" -- lawmakers will be pressured to continue moving more and more hawkish. Balloon-gate, I'd argue, has drawn more interest and attention from the masses than vivid photos of human rights abuses, Chinese government backlash to an NBA team's GM's tweet, John Cena's apology for calling Taiwan a country, and the "disappearance" of Peng Shuai combined!