I watched parts of a junior squash tournament on the Dartmouth campus over the weekend. My children do not play; I was purely an observer. This is what the 0.1 percent do on the weekends. As I looked around at the wealthy, well-dressed, athletic families, I felt a hint of disapproval. But then the rational part of my brain took over: Disapproval of what?

The problem with America right now is not that we have too many highly educated, two-parent families investing heavily in the future of their children. It's the opposite. I had an epiphany in the squash gallery: I was making the same mistake the Democrats routinely make.

I was on the brink of demonizing wealth and success for no obvious reason. In that spirit, here is my challenge for the Democratic leadership: Go to a junior squash tournament (or some other elite gathering) and take note of all the good things. When you look past the fancy cars with Connecticut license plates, and even the occasional private plane, here are some things you'll see:

People who are more highly educated than the population at large.

A higher proportion of two-parent families than the national average.

Families who are investing huge amounts of time and money in the future well-being of their children.

Adults who are less likely to smoke, less likely to be obese, more likely to vote, and more likely to be in the labor market than their fellow Americans.

People who pay a huge amount in taxes. We can quibble over whether the wealthy are "paying their fair share;" in any event, rich people are sending very large checks to the IRS.

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In the particular case of squash, you will see adolescents who are working really hard at a tough sport – the kind of perseverance that predicts future life success.

Sure, you might meet the occasional Biff or Chip who inherited millions from grandma; maybe there is an investment banker in the crowd who designed the toxic assets that nearly brought down the global financial system. Those are the exceptions. Mostly what you'll see are the attributes of success: education, grit, stable families and sensible life decisions. Is that really so bad?

As I sat there (with the pounding of squash balls all around me), I recognized the Democrats' Achilles' heel: They are making enemies out of those who should be their most important allies. Trump's base consists of America's losers, literally. The Democrats ought therefore to be the home of the winners. So stop beating up on them.

Donald Trump mocks science; he is withdrawing from the global economy; he has little respect for the media; he is threatening to drown the country in more debt; he has antagonized our international allies and provoked our enemies. The Republicans are unable or unwilling to confront a man who may become the worst president in American history.

Rational, educated people should be flocking to the Democratic Party. But they're not. Why? Because the Democrats too often project an image of taking from people who are working hard and following the rules and giving to people who are doing neither.

Compassion is not the same thing as punishing success. Making the system fairer is not the same as demonizing those who succeed in the system we have.

Do many CEOs make an obscene amount of money? Yes – but that is not why unskilled men are dropping out of the workforce in unprecedented numbers.

Is it fair that our school funding system lavishes the most money on the students who begin with the most privilege? Definitely not.

There are scores of policy changes necessary to broaden access to opportunity in this country. Richard Reeves of the Brookings Institute has written a book called "Dream Hoarders" that describes policies designed by successful Americans that effectively pull up the ladder for those still trying to climb it: zoning laws that exclude affordable housing; college admissions preferences for children of alumni; unpaid internships (which provide great experience, but only for those who can afford not to be paid); and so on.

We should fix those things. But to make society fairer in a lasting way, we need the acquiescence of the successful, not their resentment. Try this script out: Thank you for working hard, creating wealth and preparing your children to succeed. Now please help us offer that opportunity to the many Americans who are struggling. Or, as John F. Kennedy said, "To whom much is given, much is expected."

That is a long way from a Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren speech, which always seem to intimate that if Wall Street were poorer, Main Street would be richer. It doesn't work that way. Wealth is not the problem in America. It's the solution.