This is what employers now are becoming aware of and, though still cautious, will begin to loosen their wallets especially if O folds on their tax cut extension. If he folds on such a high-profile promise, being willing to isolate his base, the feeling will become more prevalent that he will fold on other stuff as well. The word "triangulation" will be heard more and more.Part of what you seem to assume is the myth of the US$2tn in idle cash in the hands of corporations that refuse to release it in the form of investment until stabler times--only that US$2tn Eldorado in hoarded cash is being used to fund deleveraging--those same allegedly flush corporations are really not so flush--they're mired in the same debt crisis as the rest of the economy, and when demand bottoms out, and you hold lots of debt, the most rational course of action is to hoard cash and try to weather the storm as best you can. In other words, that alleged US$2tn is not wealth waiting to be invested; it is the precise opposite, the material aftermath of a massive crash.
Historically there's no doubt that productive companies withhold expansion when a leftist regime is in power...that just makes sense.
When the bias goes the other way and more political power is tilted toward the pro-business faction, businesses hire.
As far as Obamacare goes, any de-fanging the Repubs are able to do (and they will because they now hold the purse strings) will encourage business even more. The EPA? Yes, there are threats aplenty. However, with the prospect of losing even more power in '12 we'll see how far the Dems actually go with that.