I don’t have much confidence in either Boehner or McConnell when it comes to making a convincing case in public, although I do think they’re a hell of a lot smarter about politics than people in here are willing to grant.
That said, the GOP has better candidates this year than it did prior to the 2012 elections, and I suspect some of them will be making very convincing cases, so I’m not nearly as pessimistic as others are.
This president, with his truly miserable performance across most fronts, is offering the GOP the chance of a lifetime to make long-term gains and I think some candidates will be able to take advantage of that. I suspect a great many traditional Democrats are disturbed with the direction their party has taken recently, and many Independents have got to be reconsidering their prior support for Obama and his team.
Consequently, they become the party's spokesmen by default. And, as a rule, presenting a case to the public isn't their strong suit. As you note, their skills are political and best practiced on the "inside".
That said, Boehner and McConnell are among the worst ever at this act -- incapable of inspiring confidence among the party faithful
We won't regain an effective public voice until we have a candidate in 2016. And he damn well better be the best candidate we can put forward.