I can't make up my mind who I'm going to vote for in the New York primary (assuming I got registered in time; I hope I did). I liked Kerry over Dean, but I wonder if that wasn't some sort of "Dear God, please don't elect Dean" sentiment where I wasn't really thinking about who the candidate actually was?

This article at the Nation doesn't really help things. Edwards is pushed as the guy who's been playing nice, making this an issues campaign, not fighting dirty with Kerry and all the rest. He's even got Dean's backing, which, as much as I didn't want him elected, is a positive in my mind. On the other hand, will Edwards have the ability to withstand the inevitable dirtiness that comes with battling the Republicans in a Presidential election?

And what about his policy beliefs anyway? In a world where I only vote for who I most believe in, I vote for Kucinich. In a world where a vote for Edwards over Kerry, if I decide that's a better choice, matters, though, I have to vote for Edwards even if Kucinich is more aligned with my beliefs and views.

According to this neat page at the BBC, comparing just Edwards and Kerry (because if I end up liking Kerry more, I'm voting for Kucinich), I'm with Edwards on defence (those British!), they're pretty much the same on the economy (as far as I can tell from this capsule), I like Kerry on education ("Says teachers should not be blamed for failing schools" is key for me), they're the same on the environment (though this is always affected by the candidate's ability to not need to take money from corporations, which Kerry's personal fortune really helps with), they're the same on foreign policy, including the Iraq war, Edwards seems slightly more militant about getting people affordable healthcare, and they're almost the same on so-called "social issues" (abortion, gay rights, gun control). The BBC has Kerry outright opposing gay marriage, while Edwards would allow states to decide. On the other hand, I recall Edwards's interview with Rolling Stone where he said that he didn't believe in gay marriage. This site backs up that recollection. Whether Kerry would support a bill eliminating the possibility of gay marriage or not is unclear to me, but Edwards seems less likely to do so.

Oh, hey, Kerry is anti-death penalty, while Edwards is pro-.

So they're essentially evenly matched for my vote. I really don't know who's more "electable" nationally. Maybe I'll vote for Sharpton.