Matt Smith of the SF Weekly poses a very interesting idea: if all the liberal Democratic votes in the last presidential election were concentrated in urban areas, then why not try to expand that base by creating a "cartel" of urban mayors, politicians and urban real estate development interests to expand urban development (without massive taxpayer subsidies) and create more of an urbanized population?

"Whether the means be formal or otherwise, mayors of Democratic cities need to find a way to join together to market their unused or underused land in a way that encourages large developers to create dense urban communities, without demanding a king's ransom in taxpayer subsidies in return. Such a strategy would bring new people into the city, improve the environment by reducing sprawl and gasoline use, and -- and here is the novel part of the plan -- create new Democrats through the shared experience of urban living, all without crippling the urban governments financially, as such projects often do now."