A pair of dreams from the same night (Nov. 8, 2009), separated by 2 others between them: 1) I am in a living room with a number of other people. We are watching a TV news program. There doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary, until the announcer reports that the Federal government plans to spend $50 billion to eliminate corruption at all levels of government. This seems to be a very significant move, and I tell the others to pay attention to it. I emphasize that the figure is $50 billion, not $50 million. 2) I witness the results of the government program to root out corruption. It appears to have succeeded. There is a ticker tape parade for Obama down the streets of New York City. Everyone is cheering as the motorcade of black open limos passes by. I am pleased that this is happening.

From a 62-year old male college teacher in Massachusetts.

The dream reflects his waking political view of Obama: “I expect great things of him and the dreams seem to confirm this.”  

Coming to a very liberal Democrat, the dream transparently mirrors his waking-world hope for dramatic governmental change during Obama’s presidency. 

A Freudian would immediately point to a dimension of wish-fulfillment in the dream.  A Jungian might refer to the archetype of the hero’s journey.  A Gestalt analyst would ask about the “presidential” parts of the dreamer’s own psyche. 

All those perspectives, and others as well, may illuminate genuine meanings expressed by the dream.  

The perspective being developed on this website has more to do with the cultural relevance of the dreams.  Rather than probing deeply into the individual’s unconscious, this approach looks for meaningful connections between the personal imagery of dreaming and broader political themes in contemporary American society. 

Seen in that context, the dream reflects the intense idealism and high expectations of Obama’s supporters.  Those hopeful feelings give rise to clear visions of what Obama’s promise of “change” should look like.   Having aroused people’s loftiest dreams, Obama must now try to find ways of putting them into practice  in the real world.