A new poll of likely voters from states where midterm races are tight clearly demonstrates that most Americans are uneasy with the state of the union.

When asked by Politico, “Which of the following comes closest to your own view?”

• 64% say things in the United States feel like they are out of control right now.
• 36% are confident that the country can meet its challenges.

Next question, “Thinking ahead several years, are you optimistic or pessimistic about the country?”

• 49% optimistic
• 50% pessimistic

And finally, “If the election for the House and Senate were held today, for whom would you vote?”

• 41%, the Democratic candidate
• 36% the Republican candidate
• 23% don't know yet

Now that last question seems not to be logical.

If a whopping 64 percent of Americans think the country is out of control under the Obama administration, why would anyone vote for a Democratic candidate?

The answer is emotion.

The Democrats have been very successful in convincing some voters that the Republican Party favors the rich and is anti-woman.

The Republican Party has not been able to put forth a leader to refute those allegations effectively.

Thus, in every poll American women continue to favor Democrats no matter what happens to the nation.

What is certainly true is that the Democratic Party and President Obama have not been successful in making America a stronger country.

We are much weaker than we were six years ago.

So if you are voting for the country, then you would be less likely to support the Democrats.

But if you are voting just for yourself and what you can get from the government, the option the Democrats provide -- continued entitlements -- is attractive.

Now, part of the reason the USA is in trouble is that President Obama puts ideology over tough, practical solutions.

Ebola is a good example.  Overwhelmingly, Americans want a travel ban imposed on the countries where the Ebola epidemic is raging.

But the president dissents.

BARACK OBAMA: “Trying to seal off an entire region of the world – if that were even possible – could actually make the situation worse.  It would make it harder to move health workers and supplies back and forth.  Experience shows that it could also cause people in the affected region to change their travel, to evade screening, and make the disease even harder to track.”

With due respect, those arguments are weak.

Here are the facts.  The countries of Senegal and Nigeria have prohibited West Africans in the neighboring Ebola-plagued districts from entering. 

That strategy has been effective.

Senegal and Nigeria have largely avoided the epidemic.

Those governments openly say the travel ban has helped them stave off the epidemic.

Based on that, a travel ban to America is certainly appropriate -- at least until American health officials get organized to contain any Ebola intrusion.

But the president continues to say no. 

That's just one of many examples of ideology trumping practical solutions to vexing problems.

Summing up, we are living in a dangerous, complicated world.

We need problem solvers, not ideologues.

And that's the memo.