Breaking Bad Actor: Cheney Used 9/11 Scaremongering To Manipulate Americans
In a recent interview with the Daily Beast, Bryan Cranston, the famous actor from Breaking Bad and Malcolm In The Middle spoke of his latest acting roles like playing blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, but also took the time to air out some of his political gripes. In the process of talking about how politically polarized America is now, Cranston revealed that he too wasn’t happy with the Bush administration – particularly how with war criminal Dick Cheney performed during his vice presidency. Cranston actually revealed that he had three choice words he’d like to say to the former V.P: “shame on you.”
Cranston rightfully accused Cheney of using fear-mongering tactics to manipulate Americans into doing what he and the rest of the Bush administration wanted them to do. Cranston told Daily Beast interviewer Marlow Stern:
“We saw that in the middle of George W. Bush’s presidency. Dick Cheney said something to the effect of, ‘If Bush isn’t reelected, there will be another attack on American soil.’ That’s nothing but fear mongering.”
“And shame on him. If I ever get a chance to meet him, I would say those three words: Shame on you.”
Cranston’s words ring true. The Bush administration was running rampant with misinformation and trying to throw Americans into panic. In many ways, the United States is still recovering from the Bush/Cheney era.
Stern asked Cranston what he thought about certain words that have long been heretical in American politics – such as the word “socialism,” which is a term that has come to define Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders throughout his campaign, and how that related to Cranston’s latest role as Dalton Trumbo, a screenwriter persecuted for his communist sympathies at the height of the McCarthyism and the Red Scare.
“It has been demonized—and they’ve done well. The fear mongers have been able to do that. And back in Trumbo’s day, they were able to convey the perceived truth, which is far more important than the truth itself in the eyes of the public. What the public perceives to be the truth is how they behave—and how they respond—and they were able to get this sensibility out and scare the people into thinking that this was happening.”
Cranston also shared his feelings about the current election, and revealed that he found Trump entertaining, and that the business mogul has pulled off an impressive feat by being increasingly racist, offensive and horrible while still thriving in the polls. Bringing one of his latest roles back into the conversation, Cranston ends the interview on a high note, stating that America should be a place where all views can be considered – something we all should agree on.
