From Catastrophic Failure To Career Rocket Fuel.
There is a special kind of magic in progressive communist democrat politics where failure isn’t punished, it’s rewarded.
Ordinary people lose their jobs for missing deadlines or misplacing a decimal point. But oversee one of the largest public fraud disasters in American history? Congratulations, your next stop is a bigger office, a fancier title, and more power over other people’s money.
This is the story of failing upward, and no modern case study captures it better than Julie Su.
As Secretary of California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency, Su presided over a system that imploded during the pandemic. California’s unemployment agency became a global punchline as tens of billions of dollars vanished into the hands of criminals, inmates, and foreign fraud rings. Legitimate workers waited months while death row inmates cashed checks. If this were the private sector, it would have ended with firings, lawsuits, and possibly indictments.
Instead, it ended with promotions.
The $55 Billion Disaster Nobody Paid For
During the COVID lockdowns, California suspended basic eligibility safeguards for unemployment benefits. The result was predictable and preventable. Fraudsters didn’t just slip through the cracks—they kicked the doors open and looted the place.
More than $55 billion disappeared. Prisoners, violent criminals, and out-of-state recipients collected benefits while honest Californians were left twisting in the wind. District attorneys across the state sounded the alarm. Audits later confirmed what common sense already knew: leadership had ignored known vulnerabilities and actively disabled protections that existed for a reason.
This wasn’t ignorance. It was negligence wrapped in ideology, justified as “speed” and “compassion,” and executed with stunning incompetence.
Failing Up, Federal Style
In any sane system, that record would end a career. In this one, it launched the next phase.
Rather than being held accountable, Su was elevated to the federal level, eventually serving as “Acting” U.S. Secretary of Labor. From that perch, she participated in a move that defied both logic and ethics: forgiving California’s massive debt to the federal government, much of it tied directly to the fraud she oversaw.
Let that sink in. The official responsible for the disaster was now positioned to erase the financial consequences of that disaster. It wasn’t just failing upward—it was self-cleansing bureaucracy, laundering incompetence through authority.
Meanwhile, California businesses were left holding the bag through higher payroll taxes, while other states managed to repay what they borrowed.
Economic Justice Or Redistribution Theater
Now comes the final, almost satirical chapter. Newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has appointed Julie Su as Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice. The title alone tells you everything you need to know.
“Economic Justice” is the modern euphemism for wealth redistribution managed by people who have already proven they can’t safeguard public funds. To progressive ideologues, Su’s record isn’t a red flag—it’s a credential. If you can torch a system, excuse the losses, and keep the base applauding, you’re exactly the kind of leader they want.
This isn’t about workers. It’s about power, narrative control, and the normalization of failure so long as it aligns with the ideology.
A System Designed To Never Learn
Audits showed California’s unemployment agency had known about its weaknesses for over a decade. Plans were never made. Safeguards were ignored. When the crisis hit, leadership chose shortcuts over responsibility, optics over integrity.
And when it all collapsed, the system did what it always does: protect itself. No real consequences. No accountability. Just a new title, a new city, and a new budget to oversee.
If this is what “economic justice” looks like, New York City should brace itself.
Bottom Line
Failing upward isn’t a bug in progressive communist democrat governance; it’s a feature. When incompetence is rewarded, and accountability is optional, disasters aren’t scandals; they’re stepping stones. Julie Su’s career arc sends a clear message: lose billions, ignore warnings, and you won’t be punished; you’ll be promoted. Just imagine what comes next.
We are so screwed.
— Steve
