Influence Alley

House Republicans are planning to launch a “fiscal cliff” public relations campaign this week to depict Democrats as wanting to raise tax rates on small businesses as an alternative to cutting spending.

The effort is described by a Republican source as a “communications plan” that includes events and visits by House Republicans to local small businesses to “to emphasize the threat to jobs posed by Congressional Democrats’ small business tax hike.”

Rank-and-file House Republicans will be presented the plan later this week; the effort will be aided by a coalition representing American small businesses.

Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, said Tuesday that “Republicans understand that we must avert the fiscal cliff and have laid out a framework to do so that is consistent with the ‘balanced’ approach the president says he wants.”

“In contrast, Democrats in Congress have downplayed the danger of going over the cliff and continue to rule out sensible spending cuts that must be part of any significant agreement to reduce the deficit. The target of the president’s rallies should be the congressional Democrats who want to raise tax rates on small businesses rather than cut spending.”