Planet America
February 6, 2021 3:26 AM   Subscribe

In the years since 2016, other countries have looked upon US politics with...well...you saw the Der Spiegel cover, the endless "America First [nation] Second" parodies (previously), puppets and other puppets, and China thinks Mike Pompeo is a doomsday clown. But Planet America, a weekly hour-long comedy/deep dive/news summary of US politics news by the ABC (the Australian one), is one of the more comprehensive, thoughtful, and funny non-US efforts at parsing the Beltway. Their Youtube archive goes back to at least mid-2019. You may find it interesting.

Though hosts John Bannon and Chas Licciardello started in the Trump era, they're just as here for Biden. Most episodes feature interviews with US political figures like Sam Nunberg, Jim Fallows and Carol Moseley Braun, John Bolton, and really just anyone with a modicum of clout and credibility who will talk to them. They aren't loud, they don't pontificate (much), episodes are info-dense, reality-based, and pleasant. Chas's vintage campaign T-shirts are epic.
posted by saysthis (5 comments total) 13 users marked this as a favorite
 
I should possibly add that, despite Sam Nunberg and John Bolton in the links, the phrase "reality has a liberal bias" applies very thoroughly to this show.
posted by saysthis at 3:28 AM on February 6, 2021


"Since 2016" is an interesting cutoff. I always liked the two "Die Bush Krieger" covers from Der Spiegel: Before and After
posted by chavenet at 3:41 AM on February 6, 2021 [4 favorites]


"Since 2016" is an interesting cutoff. I always liked the two "Die Bush Krieger" covers from Der Spiegel: Before and After
posted by chavenet at 7:41 PM on February 6 [1 favorite +] [!]


Granted, but 2016 was the Year of the Orange Disaster, and there has been a lot more "Dear USA, wtf?" coverage since. This show, as far as I can understand, came about as a result of Trumpian wtf feelings from Australia. This is why I chose that cutoff date.
posted by saysthis at 3:47 AM on February 6, 2021


Those not already aware of Chas Licciardello should know that he was formerly part of the shit-stirring ABC TV show The Chaser's War on Everything, whose notable exploits include breaching the security of an APEC meeting by presenting as a Canadian motorcade from which Licciardello emerged dressed as Osama Bin Laden.
posted by flabdablet at 4:19 AM on February 6, 2021 [4 favorites]


>this show ... came about as a result of Trumpian wtf feelings from Australia.

(Planet America first aired in the leadup to the 2012 election.)
posted by quinndexter at 6:49 PM on February 6, 2021 [1 favorite]


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