Like most things, the facts bear out the exact opposite. The CA HSR has been such a complete failure that it’s probably set back rail a decade or more. The only saving grace is Florida’s privatized high speed rail, otherwise it would be a completely failed industry.

Part of the problem is the transit activist's obsession with public transit instead of just transit. At this rate, Brightline will likely have an HSR in California before the government does. We need to make private transit great again, and California should lead the way. Transit is transit, whether it's funded by government or private interests.

You're not disproving the OP's assertion. His claim was that HSR (with the implication that it was actually built and working properly) would be good for California and be the envy of the rest of the country, and that seems to be true. The problem is that California tried to do HSR and completely bungled it somehow. Well, of course a bungled project that never gets completed isn't a great thing, that should go without saying.

As for Florida's "HSR", it doesn't really qualify for the "HS" part. The fastest segment is only 200kph. At least it's built and working, which is nice and all, but it's not a real bullet train. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brightline)