What Obama is planning to do is to deregulate the utility aspect or at least provide for a big rate jump while simultaneously pushing through even larger energy bills than 2005 that will give big chunks of government money to these energy companies to upgrade transmission lines and equipment. 

Make sure that anyone planning to invest in utilities or power generating companies takes a good look at what their mix of business is.  Obviously, it would not be a good idea to invest in power generating companies with a lot of old coal burning plants. 

I will say that people in the KC area just voted themselves a really big increase in energy costs for heating and cooling because many of the power generating plants in Missouri and KS are coal burning plants.  (anybody ever pay attention to the ever flowing coal cars going through the KCMO bottoms?)  Transitioning these plants is going to cost a heap of money and, as BO noted earlier this year, those are going to get bankrupted if they don't do something to change that.  . 

I have to admit, yesterday as I went to the polls, I kept hearing the song "it'sthe end of the world as we know it" going through my head.  

Still, if you are looking to invest and get money in the next years of the great recession, energy is probably where it is at.

PS...GE, Exelon and several other companies were huge Obama backers.  Go figure.