I wouldn't say foolish at all, Europeans have no problems at all with the American people, this is about the constant dramas played out in Congress. Whether you like Obama or not in Europe he restored much of the respect for the USA government, the Bush years were a complete disaster for the USA image here.
The issue here is the worry that the TP Republicans don't care how much chaos ensues and that Boehner is too weak to stand up to them. We've had so many problems in Europe and are just now digging ourselves out of the economic mess, the last thing we want is another recession brought on by people that just don't understand that what happens in the USA effects the whole world.
My conservative English friends don't share your views about the W presidency versus Obama. I'm no W fan, BTW, I'm libertarian. However, they see Obama as taking the US down the socialism path that they hoped we'd learn not to do because of what it did to Britain and Europe. London would tend to be more strongly your view than outside London.
The European left like Obama mostly because he makes the United States weaker. Which is why he got a Peace Prize, but he gets zero from European governments in terms of actually getting any concrete support.
I've worked extensively in Europe for the last couple decades, everything has to be taken with a grain of salt though towards Americans from Europe. I totally agree with your statements on the general European views, I'm not arguing that. But Europeans like to pick on everyone, including each other. And as top nation, they like to pick on us the most. It makes for great dinner conversation with wine and Grappa. But Americans tend to overreact to what's said about us and not really process what the Germans say about the Dutch, the French say about the Italians, ...
The main topics that are generally brought up to me BTW regarding America in Europe they always ask me about are guns and the death penalty. The Republican versus Democrat thing is mentioned here and there, but I don't get pressed much about it.
I am being asked more about the big cars. Which is easily refutable - if one wants to be sarcastic - just to compare to their plastic little boxes, if on a more serious note - just compare the distances and availability of public transportation. Most people understand. The ones who do not get the appropriate treatment.
But I am from Europe myself, so it is much more easier![]()
Can you imagine driving a Chevy Tahoe into a European town? Or trying to park that sucker? Wow.