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Dan Walters:

When he was taking some heat from journalists and opponents for not taking specific positions on issues, such as the state budget deficit, Schwarzenegger's chief adviser, George Gorton, responded: "This is not a position election. This is a character election. People are looking at character here, they're looking for somebody who will go in and clean house."

Schwarzenegger's spokesman, Sean Walsh, echoed those words when he said, "Our strategy is to make it clear that Gray Davis is the problem in California. California wants a vital leader, someone who is tough enough to get the job done."

At some point, the actor's campaign will produce a quota of position papers on the budget and other issues to quiet demands of political journalists, but they will have little or nothing to do with the high-concept strategy of going over journalists' heads to directly sell Schwarzenegger as the cure for the state's ills. And given the dynamics of the situation -- a brief campaign period and the demand on voters to decide Davis' fate -- it may be a winner ...

And Daniel Weintraub:

As much as anyone, I want to hear specifics from Schwarzenegger about his views on state issues and his plans to solve California's problems. But on family leave, Arnold might have been wise to defer. Because while giving employees paid time off to bond with a newborn or adopted child or to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, domestic partner or parent sounds great, the program has serious problems. If not corrected, the new law will probably cost far more than projected and could undermine the solvency of the state's disability fund ...

Do you find better political analysists in New York State or Washington, D.C? No, you don't.