A poll that came across the transom this week asked Americans whether, despite the challenging economic times, they "still have big dreams" for their lives. It's a fascinating question: Does the dreamy optimism that epitomizes this country stem from our wealth and success—or are the people of the United States just naturally optimistic? Turns out it's mostly the latter, as 77 percent of us still harbor big hopes for our futures.

I wrote a piece about this survey for Politics Daily, which in cross-pollinating the spirit of the Web, you can see here. The survey, done by Ipsos Public Research, also asked respondents in an open-ended question to name America's biggest dreamers. President Obama won in a landslide with 33 percent, benefiting from both the present-tense language of the poll question, and by the fact that Americans historically invest in their presidents their own hopes and dreams.

Coming in second place with 8 percent was "myself," as the respondent chose themselves as the biggest dreamer they know. Finishing third, at 7 percent, was Martin Luther King, Jr., whose famous "I Have a Dream" speech forever affiliated civil rights with big dreams. [The entire poll is here.]

Others who received consideration:

George Washington

Benjamin Franklin

Abraham Lincoln

Ronald Reagan

George W. Bush

John F. Kennedy

Thomas Jefferson

Bill Gates

Thomas Edison

God