As we approach the one year anniversary of President Obama�s inauguration as president, there is a lot of disagreement about his role since he took office. Many progressive and leftist activists and scholars (I use this loosely to include left leaning writers and researchers) have been trying to figure out Obama�s real impact on the social movements in the U.S. for improving the lives of people and removing the social barriers of racism, inequality, xenophobia, homophobia and injustice. Most progressives saw Obama�s victory as a slap in the face to America�s right-wing and hoped he would begin the process for peace, troop withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, better health care and meaningful changes to the education system in order to genuinely reduce the current racial and ethnic achievement gap.

However there is apparently a reality gap between Obama the eloquent orator on the one hand and Obama the chief executive officer and commander in chief of the armed forces on the other. Yet it is not so simple. As Obama campaigned for president he carefully crafted his speeches to demarcate himself from the right-wing, ala Bush and McCain. Yet his messages were interpreted differently by different people. It is almost as if he spoke to everyone distinctly. But, I think many leftists and progressives inferred from his speeches that Obama is progressive.

Everyone heard Obama speak, but I�m afraid some people did not listen. The most obvious example was when people were disappointed that President Obama would escalate troops in Afghanistan and his withdrawal strategy for Iraq is still unclear. Obama�s support for the No Child Left Behind Act is unwavering. Even though he stated that he was opposed to raising a generation of test-takers, his education secretary, Arne Duncan, is forcing states to increase testing. Bush backed vouchers and charter schools to replace traditional public education. Duncan is using charter schools as a Trojan horse to undermine public education.

In other words the rhetoric of change may sound good, but we are not experiencing significant change from the Obama White House. On the other hand, what we witnessed from the 2008 voting results is that people voted in great numbers to defeat the right-wing in America. The Bush years represented an era of election fraud, banking and real estate pilfering of Americans, increasing imperialist aggression, heightened racial and ethnic inequality, increasing homophobia, rising immigrant bashing, vast political corruption, and domestic spying and repression against pro-democracy activists. It felt like fascism was become an acceptable tactic in America.

American voters were tired of this. They decided that the right-wing in America had gone too far. Progressives saw this as an opportunity to rally the masses directly against the right-wing and saw Obama as a pro-democracy and peace candidate. In one vote large numbers of people voted against a history of slavery, Jim Crow, genocide, land theft, imperialist aggression, racism, sexism, xenophobia and homophobia.

So I would argue that in spite of Obama�s lack of true commitment to the ideals that he professed, that he objectively inspired a movement that was for expanded democracy, accessible health care, pro-peace, in favor of racial, ethnic and gender equality and supported the rights of people with different sexual orientations. People voted for these ideals, hoping that Obama would be the person who could deliver them. I would also argue that the fact that so many people gathered under this (pro-democratic) umbrella was a positive phenomenon in the U.S.

The reality is that if there is a hope of making significant changes to U.S. politics it will still require a mass movement of activists and scholars who will advocate for progressive change and, at the same time, be willing to criticize Obama�s political agenda. The recent student protests at colleges and universities against unreasonable tuition hikes, rallies to U.S. aggression Iraq and Afghanistan and policies of supporting the Israeli occupation of Palestine, defending immigrant rights, opposing Proposition 8 in California, waging a struggle against high stakes standardized testing in schools, and voting for candidates who support expanded democracy and equal rights are examples of continuing the fight and not being lulled into a sense of false security or frozen with indecision.

To conclude, we should celebrate Obama�s election as president as a significant blow against a history of racism, ethnic oppression and the right-wing. But the battle is not over yet. The struggle must continue.

BlackCommentator.com Guest Commentator, Joe Navarro, is a 21st century Chicano activist teacher and poet. Click here to contact Mr. Navarro.