There was a moment during Wednesday’s press conference when it seemed absolutely clear that Arnold Schwarzenegger gets it. It was that moment when he said, “I’m very, very much a believer that our people haven’t been undertaxed. The problem is the politicians have overspent.” This is a point as true in California as it is in New York. It was particularly reassuring, coming as it did following Mr. Schwarzenegger’s announcement that one of his top economic advisers would be Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor. Mr. Buffett is an outspoken opponent of repealing the estate tax, and his first notable move for the Schwarzenegger campaign was to give an interview to the Wall Street Journal complaining that property taxes in California are too low. The Terminator terminated that line of thought at Wednesday’s press conference by announcing he’d make the Sage of Omaha do 500 sit-ups if he mentioned raising property taxes ever again.

All of which is encouraging. Up to the point where Mr. Schwarzenegger stopped short of flat-out ruling out a tax increase. “We can’t ever say never,” he said. Well, if Mr. Schwarzenegger the candidate is unwilling to say he won’t raise taxes, why would anyone think that Mr. Schwarzenegger the governor won’t go ahead and raise taxes. After all, even politicians who campaign promising not to raise taxes, like George H.W. Bush and Mayor Bloomberg here in New York, tend to raise them once they get into office. Maybe Mr. Schwarzenegger doesn’t want to make promises that he thinks he’ll have to break. But the Golden State voters are a skeptical lot, and if they are seeking a candidate who will raise taxes, well, they have plenty of Democrats to choose from.