As our special report in this week's issue points out, only Zimbabwe and Haiti had lower GDP growth than Italy in the decade to 2010.

ECONOMIST: The Berlusconi era will haunt Italy for years to come

Republicans know the measure is dead on arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate, but they're trying to score political points by keeping the issue front and center in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling upholding the law.

CNN: Analysis: Where are the jobs bills?

But the strategy fared poorly last September in a special House election in Nevada, in which the Democrat lost by more than 20 points, although it was not the sole issue in the election.

WSJ: Choice of Paul Ryan Means Medicare Could Be Hotly Debated in Campaign