Does anyone actually care what other countries think of American politics or of us personally?

Not really. The ones that amuse me the most are the Europeans. Starting with Rome, the history of Europe is filled with nearly endless war and bloodshed. These are the people that brought the world the dark ages, the inquisition, colonialism, 2 world wars, and multiple attempts at genocide. America itself was born out of European imperialism. Europeans have committed the worst atrocities and crimes against humanity the world has ever seen, and they look down their noses at us? So they're always good for a laugh.