Obama's Report Card: We’re still waiting for some change

The combination of Barack Obama’s enchanting oratorical skills and his persona as a revolutionary candidate who arrived to upset the unacceptable status quo are the glitz and glamour that have held the American people enthralled for the past year.

But “three more years” is not something many Americans are left shouting, especially when the politics of the Democratic Party are only a boulder in the mountainous assault on human rights the United States of America continues daily .

It would be naive to expect instant, ideal and irreproachable answers from our president in only a year, and yet a year appears to be a quarter of this “change” that will never come back. We are still waiting.

The GLBT community is still waiting for their “fierce advocate” in Barack Obama. 

The world is still waiting for Obama to deliver on his now-overdue promise to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay.

U.S. citizens are still waiting for a real health care system that presents real solutions to their most uncontrollable disasters.

The Middle East is waiting to see the fruits of our efforts in the eyes of their murdered loved ones and in the now-postponed elections in Afghanistan.

The Earth is still waiting for a nation and its people to shepherd in genuine measures against climate change.

We are still waiting for a unique and talented president to lead the United States with more than an expertise in public relations.

We are still waiting for the Barack Obama of hope and change to come out with clearly defined positions and a powerful, well-versed voice to compel even the most fractured parts of this nation.

Looking back over the past year it is easy to point out failures and shortcomings in one man who is only part of a larger system.

It is just as easy to point out the immense talent and potential this man has yet to unleash to enact change both politically and in the overlooked expanse of social justice issues that make up the heart and soul of a nation.

My grade? 68 percent (a D+).  Maybe I am a harsh grader.  But the message lies in the other 32 percent – there is a great deal of room for improvement.

Grade: D+