Feb. 6, 2023: China deflates Bidens SOTU swagger
When President Joe Biden ascends the House rostrum tomorrow to deliver his State of the Union address, the buzz will hover tens of thousands of feet higher, where a Chinese surveillance balloon floated until it was shot down Saturday off the South Carolina coast.\nIt\u2019s a distraction Democrats aren\u2019t exactly thrilled about. They\u2019ve been hoping Biden could use the biggest bully pulpit of them all to tout their legislative victories of the past two years \u2014 moving to cut prescription drug prices, combat climate change, rebuild the nation\u2019s infrastructure, tighten gun laws and protect same-sex marriage. They\u2019re also eager for Biden to highlight a resilient economy and paint a sharp contrast with Hill Republicans while millions of voters tune in to watch.\nAnd yet, thanks to the balloon saga, it\u2019s the GOP that\u2019s relishing the chance to differentiate itself this week.\nPlaybook editor Mike DeBonis and co-author Rachael Bade discuss what they'll be watching for as the week unfolds.\xa0\nSubscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter\nRaghu Manavalan is the host and senior editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing.Jenny Ament is the executive producer of POLITICO Audio.