Does Tom Fetzer want to put the N&O out of business?

Democratic consultant Gary Pearce wrote on his Talking About Politics blog that the candidate for state Republican chairman "has a gimmick in his campaign: help put The News & Observer out of business."

The gimmick comes from an e-mail from Fetzer to supporters.

In it, he says he would call on individual donors to pledge $365 a year to the local party for "A Dollar a Day Keeps the Democrats Away Club."

I know that sounds like a lot, but not if you break it down this way: 1) just drink one less cup of coffee or one less Coke a day, or, 2) better yet, read the newspaper online and give the money to the party rather than giving it to the newspaper so they can spend your money to beat Republicans.

In an item on the gimmick, Dome's friends over at TriPol wondered about four state Democrats who did jail time.

"You have to wonder: Do Jim Black, Meg Scott Phipps, Frank Ballance and Kevin Geddings — all Democrats imprisoned after newspaper investigations — get Fetzer's joke?"

To be clear, Fetzer did not single out the N&O in his e-mail.