I rarely buy into conspiracy theories, but the longer the visceral anti-Obama vitriol goes on the more I wonder.

On the one hand, Republicans use every platform to keep up a relentless hour-by-hour attack on the President: He isn’t a real American; he wants to implement Sharia Law in the United States; he is the worst President in American history; he is an elitist, out of touch with every-day folks; he won’t lead… or, he acts without our permission.

Congressional Republicans pour out their hate-filled rhetoric in a blatant attempt to frame an anti-Obama public opinion. They simultaneously use parliamentary mechanisms to block confirmation of his appointments and passage of his legislation, and then blame him for inaction.

They scuttle or block any government program that has a promise of fueling the economy and creating jobs. They dismiss popular proposals such as extending the payroll tax holiday and public work projects in fear that they might boost the President.

As the Democrat’s Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said in a June 21 press conference, “Our Republican colleagues in the House and the Senate are driven by putting one man out of work— President Obama.”

The Republican governing strategy can fairly be termed ‘block-progress-and-blame-the President’.  This political strategy seems to be complemented by (or coordinated with?) the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the business community.

The Chamber spends millions lobbying against Democratic initiatives (ranging from healthcare to regulating the financial industry), and supporting Republican candidates. Bankers refuse to lend despite huge profits, and large corporations plow their profits into political contributions and executive pay rather than creating jobs.

The outline of a conspiracy begins to emerge: the Republicans and their supporters are willing for the nation to suffer continuing economic pain if the result is this President’s defeat.

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) went directly to that point in a June 23 speech to the Economic Policy Institute. He said that we progressives “need to start asking ourselves uncomfortable questions. Are Republicans slowing down the recovery on purpose for political gain in 2012?”

Schumer continued, “…Senator McConnell made it clear last October that his number one priority, above anything else, is to defeat President Obama. And now it is becoming clear that insisting on a slash-and-burn approach may be part of this plan. It has a double benefit for Republicans: it is ideologically tidy and it undermines the economic recovery, which they think only helps them in 2012.”

Has the Great Right Wing Conspiracy of the Clinton years reemerged? Perhaps….