Some party insiders have suggested that Republicans shy away from making the 2024 election a referendum on President Joe Biden, who has managed to bungle his way through his first term and is currently seeking a second.

RedState’s Bonchie covered the issue, explaining that the insiders argued that such an approach would be “insufficient.”

Axios is reporting that the Republican State Leadership Committee, one top state-level GOP fundraising apparatus, is encouraging candidates to not spend too much time hitting Joe Biden.

This is not the way, and I'll explain why momentarily.

A Republican Party committee is privately warning its candidates that just hitting President Biden will be "insufficient" to win in November, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The GOP's top fundraising committee for state-level leaders argued that Biden doesn't hurt candidates down ballot in the way some presidents have in the past.

"Steer clear of making the election a singular referendum on Joe Biden," wrote Dee Duncan, the president of the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC).

In a memo, it was recommended that the GOP refrain from using the president as a “crutch” and instead make a positive case for the conservative policies Republicans purport to champion.

Bonchie made a compelling point repudiating this strategy.

How do we know that is the dumbest advice imaginable? Because the Democratic Party has scored big in three straight cycles by doing the exact opposite of what is being suggested here. From the federal to the local level, Democrats have continually made nearly every race a referendum on Donald Trump. Their strategy has been simple: Connect every Republican to the former president and assert they are all "threats to democracy."

He’s right.

The Democrats have achieved major victories simply by shouting, “Orange Man Bad!” But I think it is also important to recognize that they also advocated for the policies they intended to impose. This reflects an interesting dichotomy in American politics.

It typically goes something like this: Americans deal with a series of problems. Leftists put forth silly ideas to solve those problems — gun control, the Green New Deal, taxing the hell out of everyone are just a few examples. In response, Republicans rightly point out why these policies and ideas are about as smart as trying to breathe underwater.

Then, Americans choose which party they want to be in office at the moment. Wash, rinse, repeat for the next election cycle.

This paradigm has resulted in Democrats pushing through their destructive policies – even if they have to bide their time and wait until they are back in power in the event of an election loss. Republicans are left largely without implementing the type of policies that might actually make a difference, which means the far left ends up getting precisely what they want.

This isn’t to say that Republican politicians have never articulated and implemented sound policy – but it is far more rare than many would care to admit.

The GOP would be better served by taking a more long-term focus. Yes, the 2024 election should definitely be a referendum on Biden. Indeed, former President Barack Obama has been trying to push his former vice president to adopt the Orange Man Bad strategy and make the race about Trump. Moreover, Biden has provided enough ammo for Republicans to fill up Fort Knox twice.

But, if the Republican Party wants to achieve more power long term, it must do more than simply saying “Biden’s a horrible president, ain’t he?”

If the GOP wants to attain more power to promote conservative policies, it has to make its positive case to the American people. Instead of only harping on Biden’s foibles, it must tell voters exactly how it plans to address problems like inflation, crime, education, and others. Its leaders must explain why they are the better solution more than just discussing how badly Democrats suck.

Before I became a world-class journalist and political commentator, I was in sales. When I first started out, every mentor I had advised against constantly bashing the competition while speaking with a prospect. Instead, they coached me on emphasizing why my product or service was superior. That is what will change minds, not telling them how bad their current product is.

The key is not only to tell America why they shouldn’t vote for Biden, but also to sell the public on why it should vote for Trump and other Republicans.

From where I sit, this has been one of the GOP’s most glaring weaknesses. If they want to succeed, they will have to change up their strategy.