President-elect Barack Obama will bring the Democrats’ ideas to the White House in 2009 after eight years of Republican leadership, and that leaves some business sectors afraid while others rejoice, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Obama said during the campaign that he will bring increased regulation to Wall Street. However, many business executives believe the tightened regulation will extend much further than the financial sector.

“If you think we won’t get more regulation in places other than financial services, you’re nuts,” said General Electric Co. CEO Jeffrey Immelt. “We’ll get more regulation in health care, energy and other areas.”

However, Immelt said heightened regulation “could be a catalyst for positive change. … It doesn’t have to be a negative.”

For those in the health-care industry, a Democratic president could mean an expansion of children’s health care and changes in Medicare and Medicaid purchasing, resulting in private insurers receiving less and requiring health-care coverage for everyone.

Another sector that has the potential to change drastically under Democratic leadership is the defense sector, which has enjoyed strong sales and profits. A prospect of a drawdown in troops in Iraq and a tightening of the military budget has left some key players in the industry questioning the direction.

“What we’ve got to do is very efficiently and frequently is go up there and make sure they understand what our case is,” said Clay Jones, CEO of Cedar Rapids-based Rockwell Collins Inc. and chairman of the board of governors of the Aerospace Industries Association.

Other possible changes include more power for labor unions, increased regulation of oil companies, incentives for “green” practices and the disbursement of a second economic stimulus package to spur consumer spending.