By Sam Youngman

WOLFEBORO, New Hampshire (Reuters) - Republicans are preparing to unleash an aggressive publicity effort at the Democratic convention in Charlotte, North Carolina this week.

While Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney rests in New Hampshire on Monday, his running mate Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan and other Republican officials will invade the Democratic gathering where President Barack Obama will kick off the home stretch of the race for the White House.

The Romney campaign indicated in a press release that the Republicans would "bracket" the convention with a new emphasis on the question: "Are you better off than you were four years ago?"

In the release, a Romney campaign official kicked off the week's counter-messaging with a blistering attack, saying that at the Democratic convention, Obama "is going to give us a series of excuses, alibis and scapegoats."

"Every president since the Great Depression, except Jimmy Carter and President Obama, who asked for a second term could look back at the last four years and say: "you are better off than you were four years ago," the official said.

Ryan, the Republican nominee to be vice president, will hold a campaign event in the same state in Greenville.

Reince Priebus and Congressman Jason Chaffetz of Utah on Monday will open a "'Obama isn't working' Rapid Response Center."

Romney will spend much of the week in Vermont, using the time preparing for his three debates against Obama, a campaign official said Saturday.

(Reporting By Sam Youngman)