Texas Progressives say Merry Christmas, and said Happy 250th Ludwig

And, Splendid Saturnalia, Kozy Kwanzaa and anything else you need greeted.

With that, let's dig into the roundup.

From his arts and philosophy blog, SocraticGadfly offered a hearty Happy 250th Birthday to Beethoven, including YouTube tracks of favorite orchestral, chamber group and soloist performers of some of his music.

Texas

"Lesser evilism," intra-GOP version, prevailed Saturday in the SD30 runoff as establishmentarian grifting wingnut Drew Springer beat lawlessness wingnut Shelley Luther.

Grits, looking at the rigor of police training in other countries, wishes we could apply some of that here.

Speaking of, the feds are intervening in Austin policing. Gee, once again, what about states rights etc?

Texana

The Bum Steer Awards are out! Top dog? Texas Dems for once again overpromising and underdelivering. Top runner up? The COVID-19. Greg Abbott was top/bottom dog within that. Sadly, Shelley Luther only got mentioned within Greg Abbott's mention. I forgot about Kenneth Copeland saying God would destroy the virus.

Barry Corbin is still kicking.

Texas Monthly is still fellating H-E-B.

The Big Bend's mini-Target outside Marfa is gone.

#MeToo issues in the oil patch? I am shocked! I'm also "shocked" that #MeToo accountability has, for the most part, not even started to happen.

Metromess

Ohh, more alleged bribery involving Dwaine Caraway.

A federal judge has reinstated the Botham Jean family's lawsuit against the city of Dallas, after amendment.

Helltown

Steve Hotze's Texas-fried version of the nutter conspiracy theory has led a former Houston PD captain to apparently commit what could wind up being multiple felonies, staging a deliberate rear-end collision to arrest an AC repairman whose van allegedly contained "Texas suitcases" or whatever of ballots.

Off the Kuff analyzed statewide judicial numbers and the trends from the last three Presidential elections in Harris County.

The Texas Signal commemorates Harris County's first election under the new Elections Administrator.

National/global

Trickle down economics via tax cuts for the rich is officially a failure. Shock.

That said, trickle to relatives grifting, Trump-style, has hit the Colorado GOP.

Michael Li explains the SCOTUS dismissal of the challenge to Trump's order to exclude undocumented immigrants from the 2020 Census.

Therese Odell contemplates the "Trump is literally dragged out of the White House" scenario.

Texas Monthly takes a closer look at Austin-based SolarWinds, the company at the heart of the massive Russian cyberattack.