The Register’s Oct. 26 issue looks at “El Voto”—the Hispanic vote, and finds it solidly for Obama. The Catholic Thing, however, looks a little into the future and sees that vote ripe for change ...

George Marlin writes that surveys show most Hispanics:

•  Oppose abortion
•  Attend church
•  Believe that couples should marry if they intend to live together
•  Say that unwed parents should be legally wed
•  Hold that government should promote “personal responsibility” instead of “bureaucratic paternalism.”
•  View welfare as a temporary safety net, not a permanent way of life.

“These data explain why the most significant Bush gains in the 2004 presidential election...READ MORE

Father Richard John Neuhaus, with characteristic aplomb, weighs in on the presidential race at the First Things blog in a post titled At Long Last: Obama, Abortion, and the Courts.

In doing so, like a reverse John Edwards from Planet Opposite, he explains how America today is really two nations.

“Political punditry is not my main shtick,” he writes, “and I have no idea whether the debate will contribute significantly to, as the pundits say, ‘turning this around.’ But it seemed to me that McCain was sharp, on point, and playing offense, while Obama was for the first time on the edge of losing his famed cool and, at points, was floundering.”

On the right to life, he writes, “McCain’s...READ MORE

Matthew Likona shares his ambivalent take on the movie Fireproof at Inside Catholic. He decides “it’s hard to kick a puppy.”

He struggles to find the reason he doesn’t hate the movie. After all, the story is about marriage, but makes a key error:

“Watching it was a painful yo-yo experience; I was forever being whipped between admiration and groaning. I liked that the preservation of a marriage was seen as important, but I winced as the film tried to make its case for why it was important.

“‘Marriage is for better or for worse,’ intoned Michael.

“Well, yes, that’s what we say, but why?

“Caleb is an agnostic at the film’s outset, so there can be no appeal to the notion of marriage as a...READ MORE

A hat tip to Godspy for bringing our attention to this Sarah Palin discourse on her own Down Syndrome child, the defense of life, and Barack Obama’s abortion extremism.

Tonight’s a big night for Barack Obama and Catholics. Our very own Father Raymond J. de Souza writes about it in today’s National Post.

“The Al Smith Dinner is one of American Catholicism’s most glittering events — a massive fundraiser for the Catholic charities of the Archdiocese of New York,” he explains.

McCain and Obama plan to be there tonight. The dinner always gets a big name speaker — and every four years it hosts the two presidential candidates, just as it hosted JFK and Richard Nixon in 1960.

“While the remarks tonight are expected to be lighthearted and not too political, it is likely that Mr. Obama will try to use the occasion to present himself as a friend to...READ MORE

Blogging will be light today. The Register’s offices are closed for Columbus Day and our regular blogger, Contributing Editor Tom McFeely, is celebrating Canada’s Thanksgiving Day.

It’s also the 91st anniversary of the miracle of the Sun in Fatima, which is the occasion of the miracle being reported anew in Ohio.

Fatima’s message of praying the rosary daily has bigtime papal approval ...

Pope Benedict XVI embraced the whole, “In the end, my immaculate heart will triumph” thing.

Pope John Paul II went so far as to mention it in his Year of the Rosary letter.

So, enjoy the 91st anniversary. Or Canadian Thanksgiving. Or Columbus Day. If you haven’t seen Faith & Family Live!, our sister...READ MORE

Miguel Perez remembers the days when Italians saved Columbus Day. Now he hopes Latinos will.

In a syndicated commentary piece, Perez says Columbus “to most of us … was the ultimate explorer, the gutsy genius who brought Europe to the New World, one of history’s greatest figures.”

For others, Columbus Day is “a day to malign the memory of Columbus. Because he opened the gate to the New World, they make it seem as if he personally ordered the slaughter of millions of indigenous people. Some extremists have compared him to Hitler; others have called him ‘America’s first terrorist.’”

Perez says “blaming Columbus for a holocaust is a terrible distortion of history, especially because...READ MORE

The title of Fred Barnes’ piece says it all: “Paging Rick Warren: Why Did a Town Hall Debate in Nashville Revolve Around What Interests an East Coast Newsman?” 

The first reference is to Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California, the author of the best-selling The Purpose-Driven Life, who held a forum for Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain in August.

The second reference is to last Tuesday’s debate, where voters got to see two candidates on autopilot and learned nothing new about either of them.

“The problem was the questions, chosen from thousands on the Internet and others from the 80 undecided voters assembled in a college arena in Nashville, Tenn. No doubt there were some...READ MORE