Vote Early, Vote Late -- But Vote Often

In response to a questionnaire from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Obama answered "Strongly Support" to every question asked. Note especially Nos. 22-24, dealing with incarceration of the mentally ill.

From http://www.nami.org/:
1. Support mental health and substance abuse coverage in all plans to provide affordable health care?
2. Support federal parity legislation to provide equivalent coverage of mental health and substance abuse conditions?
3. Ensure that active duty military, veterans and reservists receive the mental health care and disability payments they need to live successfully with mental illness?
4. Support parity of mental health coverage in the Medicare program?
5. Support policies that remove barriers and promote full access to mental health medications in Medicare, Medicaid and other programs?
6. Support renewing Medicare Part D guidance ensuring access to mental health medications?
7. Support Medicaid coverage and reimbursement of effective, recovery-oriented and evidence-based mental health services?
8. Support repealing the Medicaid IMD policy that excludes coverage for inpatient care in certain facilities?
9. Support parity of mental health coverage in the SCHIP program?
10. Support investing new resources in the Mental Health Services Block Grant?
11. Support policies that eliminate the inappropriate use of seclusion and restraint and foster humane alternatives?
12. Support accelerated investment in National Institute of Mental Health research on mental illness, co-occurring disorders, recovery and reintegration into the community?
13. Support incorporating cultural competence standards in requirements for federal mental health funding?
14. Support federal incentives to recruit and train mental health professionals, particularly to increase workforce diversity and serve rural areas?
15. Support the integration of mental health and primary care to achieve better health outcomes, particularly for older adults and communities of color?
16. Support increased funding for the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act to expand youth and young adult suicide prevention and early intervention strategies?
17. Support full funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and passing legislation to fund school-based mental health services?
18. Support passing Keeping Families Together legislation to end unnecessary custody relinquishment by families seeking mental health services for their children?
19. Support increased investment in permanent and supportive housing for people living with serious mental illness?
20. Support programs and policies that result in competitive employment for people living with serious mental illness?
21. Support maintaining health care coverage for people with disabilities who return to work?
22. Support increasing programs to divert people with mental illness from jail into appropriate community treatment?
23. Support increasing programs to identify youth with serious mental disorders at first contact with juvenile justice systems and increase diversion to community treatment?
24. Support access to SSI/SSDI, Medicaid and other federal benefits upon release from jail or prison for people with mental illness?

McCain, meanwhile, refused to answer any of NAMI's questions, responding instead with a one-page statement packed with boilerplate bullshit, including the following:
"Mental health is a necessary complement to physical health in all aspects of our daily lives. Fortunately, the path to greater quality and lower costs is to recognize this fact and where possible provide incentives to treat physical and behavioral health together. Chronic disease is a dominant component of the growth in spending on health care and many of our citizens with chronic illnesses have a behavioral health problem as well. For example, untreated depression raises dramatically the cost of treating the physical ailments of a diabetic. A sensible goal is to design reimbursement for taking care of the whole patient, whatever ails them, and recognize the essential role mental health treatment plays in the overall health of the patient and the reduction in physical health needs.
I have stressed the central role of personal responsibility in leading to lower health care costs. Personal fitness and better lifestyles, especially reduction in addictions of all types – food, narcotics, or cigarettes – can yield dramatic improvements in the cost of chronic illness and high‐cost medical care. We can do a better job of treating addictions, but we also have an obligation to do a better job of teaching our children the benefits of good lifestyles and the perils of addictive activities."

The Arnold Schwarzenegger school of mental health: "Personal fitness & better lifestyles." And this from a guy whose wife is a recovering addict.

I just hope the Obama landslide predictions pan out tonight.