OFF-RAMP TO NOWHERE: California’s Bullet Train Is a Model of Progressive Governance. “Trump gave Newsom a perfect opportunity to cut his losses and shift blame. Why didn’t he take it?”

This first leg should have been relatively easy since the state’s rural Central Valley is lightly developed and populated. No need to raze strip malls and housing developments. A private company built a 235-mile high-speed train from Orlando to Miami in 11 years for about $6 billion. Yet it has taken California more than a decade merely to bulldoze permitting barriers and clear lawsuits.

If all goes according to Mr. Newsom’s plans, the first leg might be done by the end of his second presidential term in 2036. Might. The state last week sued to restore the federal funds, which could mean years of litigation and more delays. “Trump wants to hand China the future and abandon the Central Valley,” he declared. “We won’t let him.”

Under the Chinese economic model, the government spurs unproductive growth by subsidizing wasteful investment, whether it be in real estate, electric vehicles or public works. China has borrowed some $1 trillion to build nearly 30,000 miles of high-speed rail lines, many of which connect lightly populated towns and carry few passengers.

That’s the future of Mr. Newsom’s bullet train to nowhere. Companies routinely cancel and write off bad investments. Why won’t Mr. Newsom and his Democratic Legislature? Because they fear voters will realize they were conned.

The thing I’ve learned about progressive voters is that they seem to enjoy being conned, so long as they’re in on the latest moral crusade.