Venture capitalist Chris Gabrieli who has spent $8 million of his own money since June attempting to win the Democratic nomination for governor of MA -- is going on the attack.  While netroots-backed candidate Deval Patrick is surging going into the last week of the primary campaign on the strength of a powerful grassroots campaign, a fine debate performance and the endorsement by The Boston Globe on Sunday, Gabrielli is attacking rank and file Democrats in the sneering manner that helped lose long time Senator Joe Lieberman the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator from Connecticut.

WHDH-TV in Boston reports:  

Chris Gabrieli accused Deval Patrick on Tuesday of being out of the Massachusetts political "mainstream," backed by "a small group of rabid supporters" who have led him to take positions that will cost the Democratic Party the gubernatorial election.

The Boston venture capitalist criticized Patrick's caution on creating new charter schools, his support for a plan to allow the children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state college tuition rates, as well as his opposition to immediately rolling back the state income tax rate from 5.3 percent to 5 percent.

"I understand that there are parts of our party that are energized by his position," Gabrieli said. "I believe the majority of the people in Massachusetts -- the mainstream values of our state -- align with me."

Patrick is leading in the polls 45-29 in the WCBS poll out today and 36 -29 in a Statehouse News Service Poll also out today. He is supported by five members of the MA Congressional delegation, dozens of state legislators, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich -- Sen Barack Obama has campaigned for him -- and Patrick is out of the mainstream?