Coakley Lead Down To...2?

That's according to Rasmussen:

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in the state finds Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley attracting 49% of the vote while her Republican rival, state Senator Scott Brown, picks up 47%.

Three percent (3%) say they’ll vote for independent candidate Joe Kennedy, and two percent (2%) are undecided....

Coakley is supported by 77% of Democrats while Brown picks up the vote from 88% of Republicans. Among voters not affiliated with either major party, Brown leads 71% to 23%. To be clear, this lead is among unaffiliated voters who are likely to participate in the special election

The Washington Independent makes a sobering point:

The really surprising thing about this poll? While Brown has made his campaign explicitly about the chance Massachusetts voters have to block the health care bill, Rasmussen finds a solid majority of voters in support of the bill. According to the internals, 52 percent of voters back “the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and the congressional Democrats” to only 46 percent who oppose it. A plurality, 41 percent, of voters say the stimulus package has helped the economy–only 23 percent say it’s hurt. Coakley’s bumbling campaign can’t close the deal with an electorate that agrees with her on the issues.

And that's still the stumbling block - these folk's blood still runs blue. Question is, will the blue-bloods turn out next Tuesday, or will the booth be filled with the red-hot rage of Republicans and independents (71%-23% ...WOW! It only took 60% of indies to break towards Chris Christie for the Republican to win in New Jersey; and that's in a a state with a 600K Democratic voting advantage)?

The Democrats are freaking out. Look at this anti- Brown screed put out by the DNC; sounds like it could have been written by an angry Truther in his dimly lit, tinfoil-wrapped basement:

“Scott Brown made a deal with the devil – and he should have held out for a better one…Brown’s embrace of radical tea party groups for funding coincides nicely with his willingness to accept the millions in television ads from shadowy out-of-state organizations with links to Karl Rove…”

Smell the desperation? Let's hope the good folks of Massachusetts can too....