The response to the economic malaise of the late 1970s was “the grassroots revolution,” Cruz told a friendly crowd in Des Moines, Iowa. “The Reagan Revolution.”

More than 30 years later, Cruz is trying to ride his own grassroots movement, one built around the Texas Republican’s opposition to President Barack Obama and his health care law. Cruz said the movement is dedicated to one word, “growth.”…

Cruz’s speech was all about the grassroots, something new to D.C. that “has official Washington absolutely terrified,” he said. “This new paradigm has been beta tested, unlike the Obamacare website.” The paradigm’s first run-through, Cruz said, was the 1980 election that swept Reagan into power…

After the shutdown ended, Cruz declared victory, lauding the 2 million people who signed a petition against Obamacare and saying that he has ruled out no strategy in his continuing efforts to dismantle the law, including another shutdown.

“We accomplished a great deal,” Cruz insisted of the shutdown Friday, elevating the national debate about the destructive impact of Obamacare.