this week on "the journal," editorial report. isis on the march as islamic state fighters make alarming gains in northern syria and western iraq. new questions about president obama's plan to degrade and destroy the terror group. plus, as more than a dozen states brace for policy cancellations, will obamacare take center stage in the final weeks of the midterm campaign? and blue state blues. why some incumbent democratic governors are in the fight of their political lives. welcome to "the journal editorial report." i'm paul gigot. new plans on the president's plan to destroy and degrade isis

is working as the militants made alarming gains in syria and western iraq. secretary of state john kerry defended the administration's strategy wednesday suggesting that protecting the syrian town of kobani was not a priority of the u.s.-led coalition. >> notwithstanding the town of kobani, we are trying to deprive the isil of the overall ability to do this in kobani but iraq. >> we have brett stevens and matt kominski here. mat, we'll start with you, what do you make of john kerry's explanation for why we are doing so little to stop the assault on

kob kobani? >> i think they have sort of given up on and trying to explain themselves, but it really won't fly because this is a major blow to american credibility. >> why? >> because we have committed the greatest military in the world to destroying isis. since that happened four weeks ago, isis has continued its march in iraq but is now taking over really an important town on the turkish border. >> and kobani to be clear is in northern syria. >> it is, but it will be a propaganda coup for isis. they will show they can stand up to the superpower and take it down. >> but it's not just -- i mean, there's a symbolic element. >> you don't disagree. >> i agree with everything he said. but there's also a political element, which is if we are going to succeed without putting major forces on the ground, we need the help of our kurdish allies. the kurdish fighters are the strongest on the ground.

and this is sending the message to those in the kurdish region that we do not have their back and won't be their firm allie. >> it is turkey, dan. they have their tanks on the border, the troops are there, it is a very powerful military, particularly relative to that region. why are they not doing anything? >> well, i think in large part because as the turkish foreign minister said, we are not going to commit ground troops to kobani on our own. we would only go within the context of the alliance. shorthamper to say, look, united states, if you're not going on the ground, we're not going on the ground because we are not going to be hung out there by ourselves. and that reflects kind of the basis thing we have been talking about here. the united states has half a strategy in iraq and syria. they are not acting as though they are committed to fully defeating isis. that was clear from what secretary kerry was saying. it was a confused statement. >> the turks are saying we also want to take down bashar al

assad in one way. and they want a buffer zone inside syria where the refugees can stay there protected rather than to flow into turkey. don't they have a point? and why do we have this quite unseemly for a coalition fighting turkey and vice versa. >> this goes back years between the u.s. and president obama. and actually all of america's allies in the middle east. since 2011, they have called on the u.s. to intervene in syria against the assad regime. we are finally acting as isis, which is important to do, but why not assad. syria will not be solved unless assad is also toppled. >> we are not going to able to generate a policy.

but turkey has a large kurdish minority population of its up. it has had to deal with kurdish terrorist groups for many years. and there is is a view in turkey of the destruction of another british enclave solves the problem, basically diminishes the kurdish threat. but here's how the administration will respond to this. >> this is what john kerry said, we're not going all in. we are going to degrade them and destroy them. and if we follow your strategy, we'll be dragged into gradual escalation and before you know it we'll have 10,000 troops on the ground. >> even at that level, it will be great to destroy them. the kurdish fighters in kobani are saying this is city fighting, we need heavy weaponenry to fight back. we don't have it, they do. similarly, we would not arm the

pre-syrian army three years ago when we knew who they were. so we have just gone in with half measures not to win. >> what's the response to the limited war fight? >> we are not degrading them. they are winning. so what we are doing is adding a propaganda victory to the strategic victory they are already getting by not only supporting our control over northern syria, but the control over anbar province and iraq. we are doing it in the teeth of america. >> are s the president facing a caselating this effort or essentially seeing it fail? >> i think the problem is the less we do now, the more inevitably we have to do. this is in response to the escalation argument that not doing it properly now for the last three years is setting us up for much more trouble down the road. >> do you agree with that? >> of course.

this is the tragedy of the -- if we maintained a trip war wire presence of 10,000 to 15,000 troops, we would not have the isis problem we have now. if we went in earlier, we were just building our way up the ladder of chaos. that's a pleasant message, brad. just in time for the nation's largest employ er empl the latest on the campaign trail.

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more than a dozen states plan to cancel health care plans not in compliance with the affordable care act in the coming weeks, affecting thousands of people in the midterm elections. a quarter of a million plans are expected to be eliminated

putting obamacare back on the front burner. that news comes as walmart says they are dropping benefits to 30,000 part-time workers citing higher than anticipated health care costs. the wall street journal editorial member is here with us, joe, 30,000 part-timers. walmart was a big supporter of the law in 2009 and now they can't afford to pay health insurance policy for its workers? >> they endorsed the law saying it would bring down health care costs. now here they are saying, we've got a big problem here. we are going to dump all the part-time workers. what they are really doing is they are responding to the law's incentives, which is for industries like retail with large numbers of low-wage and low-skilled workers, the insurance exchanges are designed for that industry. so -- >> is this widespread beyond

walmart? >> oh, absolutely. >> who else is doing it? >> walmart, target, trader joe's, other grocery stores, hospitality industry, seasonal industry, like ski mountains. >> so you're talking about potentially millions of people here. >> oh, no question. >> a lot of people say, look at walmart, that's great, that's wonderful, because they are going to be on the exchange and there will be more customers for the up surers to come in. so this is actually a good thing for the reform. >> well, if you're pro-government health care, of course. >> because the government and taxpayers will be paying for these new customers. >> right. of course that's a good thing if you think that government should provide health care to everybody. >> this is a larger taxpayer burden season. >> absolutely. no question. >> what is going on in your

state of virginia, kim? >> democrats have benefited from a lull pretty much since the blow-up of healthcare.gov. there are more plans to cancel these insurance plans because they no longer come line with the obamacare requirements. we are talking about hundreds of thousands of people. and interestingly, many of them are in states with really competitive elections going on. so places like north carolina, kentucky, alaska, virginia, a quarter million people could be losing their policies. >> i thought it was supposed to be settled last year when you had the initial transition. people were going from the pre-obamacare policies to obamacare policies. now we are a year into this and cancellations are hitting us again. why? >> to solve the political

problem last year they created all regulatory deferments. >> this the administration? >> this is the health and human services and particularly the white house. what they said was, well, if policy is going to be canceled. so that's catching up with us. >> so that's why we are seeing the next sceet. >> everything is going to have new rules before the election. >> you said the capslatincellat are happening in the states. but a couple weeks ago democrats were saying, we don't see any

signs for the republicans. and others say it has been downed before. the question is, are people a little burnt out on this and that's why the newest news really matters. when you have a senatorlike it. now many have had the opportunity not to wear it again. >> i just see this becoming a news story. they don't want to release them before they go to the polls and this is cropping up as an issue across the state, too. >> is obamacare a net plus for the republicans in this election or not? >> it absolutely is because there are a lot of americans who

are unhappy over it. it may not get us up and fuming over day. >> i can't thank you. when i come back, blue state flu. blues. we'll tell you which races to watch, next. what's wrong with trying new things? feel that in your muscles? yeah... i do... try a new way to bank, where no branches equals great rates. out for a bike ride. i didn't think i'd have a heart attack. but i did. i'm mike, and i'm very much alive. now my doctor recommends a bayer aspirin regimen to help prevent another heart attack. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen.

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less than a month now until election day. and as many as a dozen incumbent governors are fighting for their political lives. this week we look at the democrats facing an uphill battle in the blue state of illinois where pat quinn called in the big guns with first lady

michelle obama to return to her homestate to stump for the embattled incumbent locked in a tight race. we are back with joe rago and kim strassel. ron, these are not right-wing states. they have had democratic governors for a while and voted for president obama. what's going on? >> i think something is going on in all the states. one is that even keep themselves from the real world. and the real world suggests there's a lot of economic apg ziz ziz anxiety out there. and the next thing going on is president obama's unpopular popularity. and barack obama was not in illinois but his wife was in illinois. >> he's a state that vote d and

has been trending toward the republicans even in the blue states. so a governorlike pat quinn whose strategy has been to romney-ize -- he's a rich guy, doesn't understand the middle class but he won't talk. the question in why mind is how can this guy win? he's really got a record here that is one of the worst. >> he's in big trouble. companies are migrating out of illinois and people know it. >> let's talk about new england, joe. because that's supposed to be basically a foreign country for republicans. yet they are supposed to -- they are competitive. what's going on? >> one thing, if you look at connecticut, the worst state for economic growth in the country.

dan malloy is running for re-election and has passed the biggest tax in history, which is saying a lot. and so you are really looking at what is essentially -- basically we are looking for a hedge fund, so that's one industry less than connecticut. same thing for massachusetts. >> there's no incumbent running through. duvall patrick is leaving office. >> right. he's got a -- attorney general is run for, health care costs have really become a big issue

in massachusetts. ability 60% of all health care in the state is financed by the governme government. >> charlie baker is the guy to say, look, i can come in and do something about this. kim, we'll turn to colorado. this democrat was past gun control legislation. >> this is a slightly different scenario. not a deep blue state but a state that nevertheless democrats felt is -- he has allied himself with the liberal wing of his party. and you're seeing a backlash among voter there is, so he signed on with his very kefrl

gun control. and there's a lot of frustration that he's not taking a stand on what should be the biggest economic difference in utah. >> he's kind of been on the fence even though he's not fracking like the new york governor. but why are the governors who are incumbents and particularly new york almost as dreadful oozs

these here. >> it is hard to get because they are so large, we need a lot of money. when we come back, hits and misses of the week. [ narrator ] mama sherman and the legion of super fans.

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what is that? swiffer dusters... and it can extend so i don't have to get on the step stool. it's like a dirt magnet, just like my kids. i think swiffer definitely gave me some of that time back. time now for "hits & misses" of the week. kim, start us off. >> the canadian prime minister, i commend him for sending the obama administration a message. the u.s. has been snubbing canada for six years over the keystone pipe line. now comes news canada is debating its own pipeline on its own territory to its own refinery. he thinks the u.s. won't be a fast-moving economy for years and candidates should change their entire mindset when you do business with us. when you go off to can louisiana, you have problems. canada.

>> this week's poll of invitation to the conservative columnist, george will, was to attend a program specifically designed to bring alternative plans to scripps to leave a better educational exfeerps. the full column that he wore earlier this summer, it's making him look ludicrous. >> those men who kidnapped women and children have still been on a rampage. they have burned down 180 christian churches. bo bo boca horam is part of the network. >> that's it for this week's show. thank you to my panel and for all of you. i hope to see you right here

next. week. another case of ebola inside the united states after a second person has tested positive for the deadly virus. welcome to "america news headquarters." i'm arthel neville. the cdc says this time it was a nurse caring for eric duncan. earlier the cdc director tom frieden said health officials need to find out if others were