Derek Wittner lives in Kennebunkport.

Ronald Reagan famously said, “I think you all know that I’ve always felt that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” He also said, “It is time to check and reverse the growth of government which shows
signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed.”

In his wildest imagination, Reagan could not have anticipated that his own party would be the object of his derision. And yet, here we are some 40 years on and in eight months a Republican administration, controlling both houses of Congress and, dare I say, the Supreme Court, has intruded upon our lives in an unprecedented assault.

It is almost comical to reflect on the concerns of Reagan — the welfare state, socialism and the FDR legacy.

In his 1985 State of the Union address, Reagan cautioned us about capitulation beyond our borders. “We must stand by all our democratic allies. And we must not break faith with those who are risking their lives — on every continent, from Afghanistan to Nicaragua — to defy Soviet-supported aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth.”

Those precepts were Republican orthodoxy back then. Today, not so much. Instead, we are living through their antithesis.

Think about it: here at home, the Trump administration is happily acquiring 10% of Intel, a leading chip maker, or 433 million shares of common stock for $20.47 a share, totaling $8.9 billion. In its own words, this is just the beginning.

The government has targeted private education, seeking control over admission, curriculum, faculty and leadership. It has brought major law firms to heel, using control over their clients’ dependence on regulatory approvals for their operations.

The media is in the cross hairs if it deigns to criticize the administration, constitutional safeguards notwithstanding. Canceling licenses, suing news platforms, these and other tactics are fair game.

Cultural institutions are ripe for government control. The Kennedy Center’s programs, the Smithsonian’s exhibits reflecting our history, the evisceration of church/state boundaries, these, too, are opportunities for government control.

Perhaps most egregious is the use of American troops to patrol our cities, particularly those whose residents voted Democratic. Reagan would be aghast at this authoritarian intrusion in our lives. (Admittedly, he might applaud the exceptions to this agenda; here, I think of reducing health care for many Americans, lunch programs for children and, at the same time, reducing taxes on our wealthiest citizens and corporations).

But, I think he would reserve his harshest criticism of current GOP policy for the close relationship between the president and Russian dictator, at the expense of NATO and our allies. The concessions Reagan wrought from Gorbachev (glasnost, or openness, and perestroika, restructuring), resulted from his resisting the “evil empire” through strength.

This president has abdicated in the face of open military expansion orchestrated by a former KGB agent who has played Trump to a T.

Let there be no mistake: this is not the Republican Party we have known for centuries. This is a cult-driven movement designed to facilitate and promote the overthrow of our democracy. No Jan. 6 again. It won’t be necessary.