As we close in on a month out from the first Democrat presidential debate, and as the number of declared candidates approaches an absurd 25, there’s trouble brewing in the top tier.

I’ve said from the beginning that despite his robust poll numbers I don’t see any way how former Vice President Joe Biden earns his party’s nomination.  He isn’t woke enough, he doesn’t check the right intersectionality boxes, and he’s notoriously creepy around professional women.

And then there’s the fact that something is obviously, demonstrably wrong with the man.  Just watch: 

this is so hard to watch pic.twitter.com/YcCtQeNeuL

— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) May 16, 2019

This isn’t an issue of Biden’s history with stuttering.  It isn’t a verbal tick.  I’m no mental health professional, but I’ve certainly been around long enough to see the effects of a mind that is slowing down, or not firing on all cylinders.  I don’t watch this compilation and see material to make fun of somebody with.  I watch it and see material that tells me proving mental fitness and competence for the highest and most stressful office in the land is not going to be easy.

Sure, Democrats can always point to the lack of fitness for office that is evident in the current president, but that doesn’t seem like a winning argument when trying to unseat an incumbent.

But if Joe has issues, former media golden boy Beto O’Rourke is a whole different kind of mess.  Check this out:

Beto O'Rourke is livestreaming his haircut. At one point, he notes that his earhair is getting trimmed. Something he says needs to be done as you get older. pic.twitter.com/um040cwpTU

— Matt Viser (@mviser) May 15, 2019

Now, as weird as this is, consider that it comes on the heels of the O’Rourke campaign announcement that he was “re-introducing himself.”  The AP reported:

[S]ince his mid-March campaign launch, the buzz surrounding the former congressman has evaporated. Competing in a massive field of Democratic White House hopefuls, O’Rourke has sagged in the polls. He’s made few promises that resonated or produced headline-grabbing moments, instead driving around the country meeting with voters at mostly small events.

In a tacit recognition that this approach isn’t working, O’Rourke is planning to try again, taking a hands-on role in staging a “reintroduction” ahead of next month’s premier Democratic presidential debate. As he finalizes his plans, O’Rourke has entered an intentional “quiet period” to build out campaign infrastructure, according to an adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the campaign’s strategy.

Given that O’Rourke had previously entertained the country with his teeth cleanings.  This isn’t normal, and there’s little question that Democrats are realizing it too.  Can you even imagine the nickname President Trump would hang around Beto’s neck for the duration of the campaign? 

Those betting on either of these two horses may know far more than me, and heaven knows I never saw Donald Trump getting anywhere close to the Republican nomination, no less the presidency.  But I still think smart money stays away from these guys.