Remember when trial lawyer Steve Mostyn waged jihad against Rick Perry in 2010?

Remember when his prototype Bill White lost handily?

Remember when Mostyn’s sycophants disbanded and the Charity for Texas Democrat Staffers was closed?

The Texas Legislature and Rick Perry remembered. They smacked down trial lawyers with “Loser Pays.”

Well…Mostyn is getting the band back together. This time, he’s got fake Republican Mark McCaig on the teat, beefing up to open a new can of worms.

In addition to funding some ads against some of his legislative foes, he’s picking a fight with TLR—if running a few web ads can be considered “picking a fight.”

Mostyn’s angle (no Matt Angle pun intended…the consummate, untalented failure of recent Texas political history) is to pretend to claim that TLR is not conservative enough. It’s a strategy I can’t even begin to comprehend. I guess I’m too stupid.

His new jihad apparently still includes Rick Perry if this facebook ad is any indication.

Whatever tickles your fancy, Steve. This might be the political equivalent of David Carradine’s final thrill.

My focus group of one has concluded, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that this is the worst thirty seconds from Scott Howell that I can remember viewing from his operation.

I can count ten or more state representative campaign ads…in Texas…this cycle…that are better than this.

Tom Leppert still has name ID numbers that warrant a “Head On: Apply Directly to the Forehead” presentation. Who, after watching this ad, would remember the candidate?

Not me. I’m too busy thinking about the superiority of the Jos. A. Bank commercials with their gold letters, upbeat and energized announcer, and repetition of the message.

Even Men’s Warehouse has a catchy slogan at the end from the gruff narcissist. But this Leppert spot is the K&G Men’s Superstore marketing version.

If I were Leppert’s media consultant, I would demand that this candidate be banned from speaking in the spots. Leppert is second-worst on TV in Texas right now—second only to Elizabeth Ames Jones. Whoever allowed her to speak on camera should be forced to watch the new Zac Efron movie. Thrice. Sober.

At the end of the day, this spot will see some broadcast time, according to National Journal’s Hotline on Call. I’d ask some ad trackers which “major” markets his campaign is referring to, but I don’t want to blow my cover by being the only one in the state who cares about Leppert’s ad traffic.

This broadcast buy and subsequent ads could land Leppert a second-place finish—if the Cruz campaign cannot find any more dollars.

**If the banal title of this post made you think of “Hunger Games,” please leave. I do not want your traffic here. Go watch cat videos or something.

Rick Perry is doling out endorsements like wartime care packages. He can still dominate news coverage like a boss.

For the past few weeks, Abbott and Combs have been blessing candidates as well. Combs’ picks are particularly interesting, exhibiting either a conservative street cred gambit for 2014 or a new chief of staff who is still beholden to the kids at YCT. I think those explanations are mutually exclusive.

Three things stuck out and slapped me in my daydrinking face:

1. Perry endorsed Wayne Christian, who is, on paper, finished after May 29th
2. No endorsements for the Williams-on-Williams crime Congressional race from anyone
3. Rick Perry unequivocally endorsed Dewhurst, but Greg Abbott has not endorsed Cruz

At some point, somebody has to ask the question: why won’t Ted Cruz’s former boss endorse him?

I don’t think the Cruz campaign is saving anything. Time is running out.

Abbott either doesn’t like Cruz enough to endorse or doesn’t think he can win. I’ve heard whispers, and a recent Statesman article full of anonymous quotes leads one to believe the former…

Honestly, I was hoping to see Abbott endorse Cruz, because I think a Perry/Abbott primary would be the most entertaining political match-up in Texas history. I’ve heard multiple times that it won’t happen—even if Perry runs for reelection—but my wild imagination can roam on whiskey if it wants to. Perry and Abbott on opposite sides of the Senate race would have been a captivating Chapter One.

An anonymous person who sometimes sends me political gossip sends this from Navarro County. They must know about my 8th-grade sense of humor.

Paul Sadler may have learned a lesson from Bill White that Republicans have failed to learn from John McCain.

Or he’s a silly liberal who’s giving up eleven months of his life so that the top of the ticket is somewhat contested.

I didn’t attend this morning’s Texas Tribune event, but I followed Ross Ramsey’s fleeting tweets with mild interest. Get an ice pack for those fingers, sir.

Sadler managed to defend Obamacare, endorse Obama as having done a “good job,” berate Voter ID, dismiss entitlement reform, pledge to vote for higher taxes, defend Planned Parenthood, support gay marriage, and flirt with amnesty. All in one sitting.

This guy is the anti-Bill White. He’s either learned that “moderate Democrat” doesn’t play well in Texas…or he wants to perform the fool’s errand on his own terms.

I’m going to assume for a minute (and only a minute) that the Democrats have some semblance of strategery on subtle display here. Let’s assume they know that all the moderate Democrats in Texas have been defeated. Let’s assume they know that “moderate” Democrats cannot hope to take out freshman lawmakers or contest new GOP districts. Let’s also assume that they know how important the voters Obama turns out will be to doing well down the ballot in liberal districts.

A crazy liberal hitting the aforementioned talking points will certainly frighten conservatives into opening their wallets and increasing GOP turnout—compounding the anti-Obama vote. But in urban districts—say—one where the Obama vote has a ceiling of 55% and the GOP has a decent candidate running a tough race…Sadler could make the difference for the Democrat turnout. Obama won’t be spending any dough here, and Sadler could have a few million trial lawyer dollars to play with.

Perhaps I credit the Democrat brain trust too much. I think it’s a better means-and-ends situation for Texas Democrats to offer a pure liberal up for the Mayan cutting stone and protect/help the down-ballot shenanigans during a GOP (compared to 2008) cycle. But it’s not unlikely this is all an accident void of planning.

Unfortunately, I fear we’re doing the opposite with Willard Etch-A-Sketch Romney.