what he thought no child left behind could be. >> as the family, we see more members of the family getting into the cars and wait for the motorcade to begin proceeding. jane, what about the personal side? we know his great sense of humor. talk about for a moment the -- there's joan kennedy, of course, the first wife. this family -- we see ed schlossberg in the background there. the family has come together. they've had their trials. joan kennedy is the first wife and obviously the divorce, and then years later vicky reggie, who he said became the love of his life and gave his life so much meaning in the latter years. tell me about the christmas party, share with the viewers and the costumes and some of the parties that ted kennedy had for the staff on the hill. >> i know you shared so many of the good times, but the staff, you know, the kennedy staff over the years could fill a small football stadium.

every year he and vicky would bring together the staff with a skit artfully written oftentimes by the senator and vicky and carefully edited by carriy parker, a long time aide to the senator and wonderful writer. they would do the most tongue and cheek fun things that you would have hundreds people stuffed into the help committee room just howling at how they would make fun of laws and make fun of each other. it was just a family kind of fun event. those become, you know, really an anchor for kennedy staff. we call them team kennedy people who left the beltway. they would come from all parts of the world to come back for what we called the christmas party, but it was really a fun reunion. whether it was shrek or batman orph phantom of the opera, it didn't matter. he loved the arts. he would tie it to there. they would sing.

they would be funny. i mean, he could win an academy award for some of his performances in those skits. >> i'm thinking also about the easter egg rolls at hickory hill and the christmas carolling at hickory hill, the way he was uncle teddy. jane, stand by for a moment. joining us now is neil, "author of the last lion." we're watching these incredibly moving scenes of the kennedy -- ted kennedy's casket flap-draped loaded in the hearse and the family all gathering as this motorcade is about to come to boston. what kind of reception. what does this mean to the people of boston to have this chance to see good-bye to nir senator? >> i think it will be an incredible outpouring. not only is the mourning of ted kennedy, but in some ways it's the mourning of the era of the kennedy family, the camelot era. i'm just struck at looking at

this footage of the comparison with the funeral train for bobby kennedy in 1968 where ted kennedy really rose to stand up for the family and for the nation in this time of incredible grief when his second brother was cut down and the outpowering thou outpouing that happened from new york to washington. he lived to 77 as opposed to being cut down in his prime in his 40s. >> michael, you were also thinking about the funeral train. there is something to be celebratory about this, though. 77 very productive years, especially the last 40. >> not only those productive years, but the last year and a hal half. i mean, among people who have the awful disease that he dies, he was one of the longest survivors and that tells you about his character and also vicky's who helped him do it.

>> jane oates, in terms of getting medical information, ted kennedy was known for legislating on health care but for knowing all the inner workings of the nih. he knew where the experts where. >> yes, he did. they had such love and respect for him that they would move mountains to get him whatever he needed when he called for anyone. i think over the last 15 months people like al rabson would have done anything humanly possible from the national cancer institute to get him the best. he just -- he lived the last 15 months for the fullest of anyone i know that's going through chemotherapy and radiation. i mean, his sailing, his time with his children, his cherished time with vicky. i mean, i think up until the very end he enjoyed every minute of the time that he was given. >> he said that in the convention almost exactly a year

ago, at the democratic convention speech in denver that he really wanted to live to see barack obama sworn in. that day, that cold day, it could not have been easy. it certainly was not medically advisable for him to be out in a crowd and out in that wicked cold on the steps of the capitol. we know what happened at the lunch when he had a setback and collapsed, but it was so important for him to see the president being sworn in. >> oh, he believed in the president before many people even realized the president was running. i mean, i think all of us remember when he and caroline did the speech with president obama, and we could feel the tide turning. his enthusiasm for the president was something that you could feel in the room. his belief turned out to be so true when the american voters believed the same way, and i think that senator kennedy was so proud of the president and will continue to look down on

him with great affection and pride from heaven. >> neil, how difficult was it for him to break with the clintons? he had a very close connection to them and had, in fact, reached out and helped bill clinton through the most troubling years of his presidency. then to have made that decision in the 2008 campaign. very, very tough and very bitter. >> very difficult. >> we see the motorcade is now moving. >> i think it's important to note that many people came to ted kennedy over the years for his connection, what he offered the connection to his brothers. barack obama didn't need ted kennedy for the connection to the charismatic ted kennedy. he needed ted kennedy for ted kennedy and his career and credentials won over the decades with the liberal democratic party rheavyweights across the country and rang and file

people. that was important to ted kennedy. he saw in barack obama a lot of what he saw in his brother, jack, and his ability to move people, especially the young. he preached that barack obama didn't need ted kennedy for his access for his brothers. he needed him for ted kennedy. >> we're watching the motorcade moving out of the compound, and it could not be more moving. >> especially because this is a drive up route 3 to the kennedy library at that ted kennedy took thousands of times. as you see later on, this library really bears his stamp. we were talking a moment about ted kennedy endorsing barack obama last year. i agree with what neil said. there's one thing barack obama needed from ted kennedy, and that is in late january of 2008, one of the things that was holding some democratic voters back from barack obama was they said we like him, we like him on

the issues but we think he maybe too young and inexperienced. maybe we should vote for hillary clinton ready on day one. in comes ted kennedy and endorses barack obama in the speechl ands barack obama is ready on day one to be a great president. changed that campaign. >> these narrow streets. we were there this morning and yesterday. this is a hometown. this is where he would walk the d dog, splash, and go for his sails. we saw the nantucket light ship lum naturing his boat the mya last night. another sad -- >> and so eager to come back and vicky so eager to have him there this summer. interesting thing is hyannis port then and pretty much now is a very republican town who voted overwhelmingly against john kennedy and oftentimes against ted. the other thing was when rose kennedy died in the mid 1990s,

she had the idea that the house should be left perhaps to the catholic church, and ted kennedy said absolutely not. i've been waiting all these years to be the master of my house and bring my family in, which he did. it looks as if the future may be a museum. >> it's no accident that the first location that they will pass this hearse, this sad motorcade, is the birthplace of rose kennedy at st. stevens where he was baptized and where her funeral mass was held. >> when you read the letters that rose wrote to ted, they were characteristic of rose down to the time when he had a broken back and barely escaped death in 1964 in the plane crash. she wrote him notes correcting him on the proper use on who and whom. she was an exacting woman who expected the best of her children and was never shy about pointing out when they failed to

live up to the standards. but in rose ted saw an incredible woman of strength and of faith. i think especially when you see ted's role over the years in effect the chief you'euologist this family, he got this strength from rose. after bobby was killed she talked about no time for useless mourning. she looked forward. that's how ted kennedy dealt with tragedy, by looking forward. >> it also strikes me and i have no evidence of this but michael and neil and jane, you know him and know the history, rose's influence on his letter writing, all of those personal notes in this e-mail age that is an old-fashioned virtue. it strikes me that came from his mother. >> absolutely. you knew him. i have to say from experience, you would do the slightest

thing, the most minuscule thing for ted kennedy, and he would send you a call or handwritten note and you wonder where he had the time in this period where people don't do that. >> there's the harbor. there's nantucket sound where he sailed every day. >> and sailed in a pretty energetic way. people who run his sailboat would report that they'd be there and his grandchildren would be there and that sailboat would tip way to the side and the grandchildren would almost slip off and go over a buff and he thought that was hilarious or part of the experience. >> of going about. jane, vicky managed to bring him home for those last months, and he had the sails and he had the people around him and the dogs and the children and all of the things about his childhood and growing up in hyannis port that had to be very important to him. >> the other thing is he was working, he was reading briefing materials and he was in

conversations with staff. he was up-to-the minute on the health care debate until the last few weeks. he has been as busy as ever in terms of keeping up to speed on things. and vicky has just done such an incredible job of balancing his health care needs and his work needs. she's been the chief of staff. she's been the loving wife. she's been every one of those roles. she's been unbelievable. >> andrea, i want to mention one thing about the compound. >> as we've been chatting we want to point out we're replaying what happened moments ago as the military escort brought out the flag-draped casket. you were commenting on the compound itself. >> yes. i think for many who grew up with the kennedy, the film clips of the touch football games at the compound, you get the sense that this was a family that was a unified force that was there together all the time. the reality was that ted kennedy

didn't spend a whole lot of time with his siblings growing up. it was a fairly lonely childhood. he went to ten schools in his first 11 years, he was moved around a lot, as all the kids were pretty dispersed. what this compound was for him and for many in the family was sort of a tuning fork. it was the place where everyone came together. it was the place where they would have the thanksgiving meal together every year. it was the source of constant in his life, and i think that explained a lot of the why he cherished it so much. >> michael, that is a very good point, because he was so much younger than his brothers and we think of them together, but really he was raised very much separately, he being the youngest. >> he was already like an army child. he moved all over the place and all these different schools.

one teacher of the house was the kids didn't have particularly assigned rooms. when they came home from a vacation, jean go to this room and teddy go to this room. if you're looking for the source of kennedy's amazing ability to get along with almost everyone, he had to. this is where it came from. >> neil, again, as we see what transpired moments ago, the casket being brought by the military escort from the compound into the hearse, now on its way here to boston, boston has all these locations, you've covered the kepdyes and written about them and worked for "the globe." what are the important -- the significant of the vocations, the landmarks he passes. >> as you say, there are so many of them. nathaniel hall, ted kennedy when he finally announced his race for the presidency in 1980, he

broke with tradition from his brothers from that shadow. instead of announcing as jack and bobby did from the senate caucus room, he did it from nathaniel hall. and going by to the beloved church of his mother. the kennedy library, the final destination as michael was saying before. this was his cause, creating that. it was originally supposed to be in cambridge at the harvard university campus. ted was involved very early on in that and in shepherding those plans through and the creation of that library. there's so many points along this route that have enormous significance for him and for the public in massachusetts. >> as we see live pictures of this as it goes from hyannis port on the cape to boston, jane --

>> yes. >> jane, let's talk about the route and the distance to boston and how important it was for him to touch base with his roots there in massachusetts. he was a staffer in washington, but you know that massachusetts really defined who ted kennedy was. >> oh, absolutely. i mean, his long-time aid barbara was his state director for decades, and it was clear when you worked for ted kennedy in washington that you had to listen to people in massachusetts. he cared deeply about the other 49 states, but if you weren't connected with people on every issue in massachusetts, in his mind you were not doing your job. the people in massachusetts were his family, and he felt that they gave unique and critical facts that had to influence him. andrea, i know you've seen him over the years. i would staff him in washington or in the state, and people

would stop, you know -- i would have briefing books and people would stop and say, could i take a picture? he would look at whoever the staff was me in that case said help that lady. let's get a picture with her. he wanted to talk to every constitue constituent, and those stories were not only important to him but informed him on issues. i was with him when a woman told him who had had a mastectomy that her prosthesis was not covered under hirz insurance, and within months he was in washington making sure that women with breast cancer had everything that needed to be covered covered. that woman along the path in washington had no idea she was informing national policy. but he listened so intently, and he took that home. he felt that those people in the state as well as people he met across the country were the people who really knew what had to be done, and he made it happen. >> michael, how did he manage to

do that, despite the threats gets his life and what had happened to his brothers? we've heard that he managed to shake off the security concerns and still mingle with people very openly. >> he did. it didn involve risk. i would not have said this other the day before he passed, but the kennedy to this office to this day gets an amazing number of trips, and he knew that. >> because of the name? >> all these years later, 41 years after bobby kennedy was gone. >> and yet, neil, he insisted on his ability to remain a constituent-serving senator and representative here in massachusetts. he wanted to be among people. he wanted to be a real politician in the best sense of that word. >> i think that's exactly right, andrea. that goes back to the pretty modest beginnings in the senate that ted kennedy started. constituent services was a way to establish the credibility

when he was still learning the ways of the senate and told his staff early on to take those calls seriously and that continued even when his stature eclipsed that junior senator beginning. in many states because you have two senators, you usually had the sort of thinking foreign service-minded senator and the constituent service senator demato and moynahan in new york being the best of that. in massachusetts you had those combined into one in the office of ted kennedy, and the staff had to know that constituent services and ambitious national policy had to both come out of that office. >> he also knew that -- he knew enough history that there are an awful lot of senators who became great national figures like jay william fullbright of arkansas or mcfarland of arizona who is a

democratic leader in the early 1950s. their states were proud of them, but they figured the senators spent so much time in the international and national stuff is not paying attention tuesday. they got defeated. ted kennedy made very sure that would never happen to him. >> there was a time in 1994, which was after his poor performance in the clarence thomas hearings and the whole problem in palm beach with will smith, where he thought he was going to be really seriously challenged, but in the debates he conquered. >> he was running against a guy named mitt romney, and he was in trouble for part of that campaign. some polls showed them running very close together. for a kennedy toob challenged in massachusetts, that was really something. but he got it together and defeated romney in those debase. the irony is in 1964 john kennedy was privately worried about one possible republican opponent in 1964 which was

romn romney's father. he looked more like a president than jack did. that was the one he was quietly nervous about. >> as a little footnote there on what happened to george romney that took him out of convention? >> a little later on he took a trip to vietnam, 1967, after declaring his candidacy for the 1968 republican nomination and came back and artlessly said -- i think on "meet the press" was at any time -- not to plug an nbc program -- said he was brainwashed by the johnson administration briefers in vietn vietnam. >> and said that he had been brain washinged, and was that was the end of his -- >> it didn't suggest a very sharp hands-on leader who might be president. >> as we watch these pictures

played, joining us on the telephone is barbara boxer. senator boxer, you've lost a colleague and friend. what has the nation lost as a great legislator passes today? >> the nation has lost a legislator who really was the voice for the voiceless and for those who just didn't have the power to be heard. and that is really important, because we all know in america we do best when we listen. there aren't enough voices like ted's, and there's not one person who is able to bring that passion to bear. it's going to have to be all of us. i hope some on the other side as well of the aisle who will speak up when we know there are some folks not getting the attention that they deserve, whether they're disabled, veterans who are wounded, the poor, the children. it's really going to be a challenge for us. we have to step up. we have to do it.

i think in his memory. >> the white house was saying yesterday that -- a colleague said when he first came to the senate as a freshman and ted kennedy brought him into the hide away tucked behind the senate press gallery and poured him a tumbler of scotch and introduced him to the old boy network. did ted kennedy reach out to young senators even the women among you and help you learn the ropes? >> the most exciting thing that happened to me when he first came to the senate in the early '90s is ted was running a bill on the floor to protect women who were trying to go to reproductive health care clinics and people were blocking the doors with their bodies and signs and people couldn't get in. so he wrote a sign and said you have to protest and you have to have a space there and that was the law. he asked me if i'd be his lieutenant, if i'd manage this

on the floor. it was such a thrill to learn from the master. that did pass and become law. >> what was his special skill in trying to line up votes and dealing with the opposition and working on compromises? >> i think his special skill was knowing his colleagues. for example, when it came to me on that issue, he knew how much i cared about women's health and knew i'd be passionate even in my first days in the senate and my first start. so he knows -- i'm sorry. he knew his colleagues well, and he knew their families on both sides of the aisle. he knew what made them tick, what their life experiences were so he would find that little thread to pull people together. he could find that spark that could light that flame between people who maybe didn't agree on everything. that's a tremendous skill. >> senator, as you try to pass

health care legislation now and i know that both in the party want a public option, what would ted kennedy do to work out this seemingly impassable disagreement between those that want a public option and those who believe a co-op is adequate and those who don't want any kind of a government role? >> of course, nobody knows exactly what ted would do, but i would think he would get back to what we're trying to do, and that is ensure that there's some competition for these health insurance companies who have made 400% profit in, you know, i think between '01 and '07, 400% and an average ceo makes $14 million a year. i mean, this is not sustainable as they kick people off and the rest. so we have a new study. i'm sure ted would not have been shocked to know if things keep up the way they are, the people in california in 2015 will be

paying 41% of their income for premiums. so i think for him he'd get back to that point, which is we need something to keep them honest, the public option is the easiest thing to do. i think it's a simple idea, but i'm saying he wouldn't look at iterations of that. but i think he would certainly not want to see us go through all of this and have the insurance companies still be able to rip us off. it's not right. >> i can do a few more minutes. yes. >> and senator, when you look toward the september 15th deadline that the white house informally imposed, do you see them coming up with some sort of a bipart sdplan framework, or will they go it alone, you democrats try to bring over a few republicans or in worst case pass something with 51 votes and not get the 60? >> i think president obama has made it clear that he wants us

to try and reach across the aisle to each other. at some point it's going to be obvious that we, you know, have been able to do it or haven't been able to do it. whether it's september 15th, 16th, or 20th or 14th. we're getting to the point where the issues are out there. we know that 14,000 americans lose their health care every single day. 66% of bankruptcies are linked to health crisis. we know that the insurance companies, many of them kick you out when you need them most. we know the problems. we need to act. >> senator, as we've been chatting, we see people gathering along the reside as the lead motorcycles of this kor tej start approaching 70 miles between hyannis port and boston. when it left hyannis port, peter alexander, our correspondent was there. if you could join our

conversation about the people in the small town lined up along that one lane watching the motorcade leave. >> yeah. it is the quiet lane of cutter avenue that leads from the trees where the family lived. i think there's one notable moment we saw a short time ago that the cameras did not see. it was when max kennedy, the 9th of 11th bobby kennedy here walked out to the police officers handing them wrapped up sandwiched and sodas. thank you. we respect you're here for our family as we mourn. we appreciate that. he didn't speak with us, but you could see the appreciation in his eyes. earlier today we had a chance to visit with bobby kennedy jr. who took the family members out on the water. he did speak to the reporters saying that this was a very sad day, but a day they were also so grateful for all these people who have gathered here today. as one individual told me earlier, the cape will not be

the same without teddy, though they acknowledge it was not unexpected it's difficult. just two times in the last two or so weeks this family has gathered to mourn. we did see as vehicles passed by the limousines we saw ted kennedy iii, one of the last senator's grandchildren roll down the window and wave with a smile on his face to everyone here. we had a chance to see maria shriver in one of the cars there, and vicky rolled down the window with tears had her eyes and had a chance to wave. it's a tough day for this community. they're not just mourning the loss of a senator for 47 years but a man that they say was just a neighbor. the guy they saw walking his dogs, the three portuguese water dogs around this area, taking the golf cart around and according to mike barnicle who says up until the last days they

would wheel teddy to the dock so he could get to the mya and be taken out to sea just to enjoy a little bit of time in this area that he loved so much. such a beautiful part of the country where today everyone is grieving and certainly a show of sadness and also appreciation. >> as peter is recounting the crowds in hyannis port, people are gathered along the roadway on the way to boston from hyannis port. senator boxer, which is an extraordinary expression at a time when politicians are frankly as unpopular as journalists in america, especially tv journalists. you don't find many politicians where people line up to say good-bye so touchingly. >> ted was an extraordinary leader and an extraordinary presence. it's important to note that he had his tough race, and you talked about that. he had a very hard race, and his polls weren't good. the greatness of ted kennedy is

that he would say to his staff, go try to change me. i am who i am. i'm going to fight for who i fight for, and whether it's popular today or not. at the end of the day, i've always believed that's what people respect so much. you're going to do what you think is right even if you don't look at the moment. >> well said. thank you so much, senator boxer, for joining us today. we watch this very sad moment in the life and times of senator ted kennedy. the motorcade is just now coming over that rise as we see people lined up along the way, along the highway. this is the highway between hyannis port and boston. behind schedule, but when it gets to boston it will be, of course, going past all these kennedy landmarks, places in the city that were so important to the late senator. then later this afternoon arriving here at the kennedy

library where the public will be able to pay their last respects and the family will gather as well. this has been a special edition of "andrea mitch repoell report live from the kennedy library. con tessa takes over now. contessa. >> senator ted kennedy made this journey so many times in life and today, as you can see from these live pictures we're showing you from massachusetts, making it for the final time here in death. whdh our nbc affiliate in boston is covering it. we'll listen to their coverage here.

[ applause ] >> spontaneous applause there from the crowd here. they've broke out in applause, and here's a nice view of the waving from the tour bus. and we caught a nice view of patrick kennedy, who is sitting in the front seat of the hearse carrying his father. not too far behind there in one of the limousines was caroline kennedy. she had a wave for the crowd. in a vehicle after that, in a white station wagon suv was maria shriver. she waved to the crowd. i'm standing here with ted

o'ne o'neal. first, this may sound trite, ted, but why did you come here? >> two reasons. one, out of just deep respect for the senator and secondly as a thank you, as an expression of appreciation for all he's done for us for so many years. >> i would imagine you remember where you were when jfk was killed and where you were when you learned what happened to bobby kennedy. how does this resonate? >> well, this was certainly more, you know, expected. the brain tumor is terminal. what surprised me was even though you know it's coming and actually almost hope it will hurry to stop the suffering, i was struck by how sad i have been about it. just watching the tv coverage of the history and the life, it was

nice to see so many people here today, too. we waited a long time for the motorcade to come by, and so it's -- i'm glad we came. >> i've also been taken since his passing about the stories that have come out about the senator. his remarkable ability to connect with everything, pulling his car over on the side of the road and you have your own. >> maybe it will lighten the sadness a bit. our son, when he was in college, got an internship with the senator in '02, whatever. i kidded him that he'd been down there making policy and writing legislation. of course, michael was answering telephones and doing internship types of things. one day the senator was at his desk, and he called michael over to come with him to a committee meeting. mike thought, wow. then teddy handed him the leash for splash, so his job was to contain splash and somehow

during the committee meeting michael let go of the leash and they ended up interrupting the meeting and chasing splash around. so teddy gave mike a hard time about that in great jes. he always had a good sense of humor. >> he said this is going to be splash's last press conference. >> i could almost hear the roar of laughter from senator kennedy as he was running around the committee room. he was one of those people. >> he really was. we had the pleasure of -- when -- the summer that michael interned for him, he came up here. he's a great fan of tony bennett, and we went to a concert at the melody tent and were invited after through michael and some people from washington to a private reception. we got to spend some time with them then, and we've seen him on occasion over the years at fund raisers and the like. we'll miss him. he's already a legend, and i wish there were more of him.

>> mary ellen, while i have you here, what did this moment mean to you? >> it's a very sad moment. i first remember seeing teddy before he was a senator when he came to my high school in the early '60s and have seen him many times through the years at fund-raisers and other occasions, most recently as the rally for barack obama in boston the night before the primary. it was very meaningful to all of us when he came out and endorsed barack obama. so i'm really sad that he's not here to see what i hope will be a meaningful health care bill passed, and i'm hopeful that people will come together in his memory and do the right thing and include a public option and take care of people the way teddy always tried to. >> i had one more question for both of you while we have you here. >> you are listening to whdh our nbc affiliate from boston as they cover the motorcade we saw pass carrying the late senator

ted kennedy. here's a situation where the people of massachusetts have an opportunity and come out and say a final good-bye to him. if they can't make it into the jfk library. again, the body of senator ted kennedy and his family making a 70-mile trip from hyannis port to boston to the jfk library. it will pass by important places in his life, including the church where his mother was baptized, the rose fitzgerald greenway and his first office where he worked as an assistant district attorney and then the trip tonight ending at the library where his body will lie in repose at 6:00 p.m. tonight and another opportunity for the people of massachusetts to salute their long-serving senator. with me now is neil, an nbc contributor but co-wrote "the last lion: the fall and rise of ted kennedy," and i know uf been

covering this family for a decade or so. when we look at the passing of the senator and you see the response, it's comparable to what we have seen for presidents who have passed away. >> it really is, and i think part of that is his connection to his brothers, to that connection that goes back for jack kennedy and before that. the marriage of the kennedys in massachusetts politics has been unbroken for the 47 years that ted kennedy was in the senate and beyond that. >> when you're looking at the -- here we see the video at hyannis port of this military guard who escorted his coffin flag-draped out on the hearse making its way into boston and then you see the crowd of family members that came out, the question on so many people's minds is who now, who now takes on the mantle of the lion? is there someone within the

kennedy family? is there someone currently serving in the senate who can go forward and say, this legislation has got to get done, so how do we xrocompromise and k together for the people of the home state and the people of the united states of america? >> it's a great question, but it can't be turned on instantly. ted kennedy is a perfect example of that. his political life was turned on through a -- in large part through his family's help, but what we saw is ted kennedy the statesman, the ted kennedy the lawmaker, ted kennedy the senator who is much more effective than either brother as a legislator. that was won over years with lots of setbacks. >> is that because of an opportunity to serve longer and an opportunity to perfect the art of legislating? >> i think it's two things. it's time on that. i think he was suited ideally for the senate. one, because he was the ninth of nine children. he understood deference and how

to get ahead while dealing with elders. he did that in his own family and did that in the senate. people expected him to be the entitled brat brother of the president, and he wasn't and surprised people and drew the respect of those people. i think it was part of that. lawmaking is a different part of governing than the executive brarn branch. that is the essence of ted kennedy's success. >> let me bring in michael. he's an nbc news presidential historian in boston today. neil and i were talking about the facts that what we're seeing, the pomp and circumstance that goes along with saying good-bye to the late senator, has the look and the feel of a presidential farewell. set the scene for me in massachusetts and why -- why so many people are willing to go out in the middle of a workday on a thursday to stand on the side of the road and wave to the

passing motorcade. >> massachusetts is kennedy land. they have had a kennedy in congress since 1946. ted kennedy was once in a little trouble running again ni ning a romney in 1994. these are basically his people, and to some extent especially eastern massachusetts given the kennedys are from boston and hyannis port. >> we were seeing the aerial views, the chopper overhead. there's the live picture. you can see in every roadway there are people gathered. some of the traffic is stopped and people on the side of the road standing there waiting to have a wave at the hearse and wave at the family and let them know he was adored there in his home state of massachusetts. what are you expecting to see, michael, once we move past the

farewell and the ceremony, the burial? what do you expect to see in terms of the family's involvement in politics? >> contessa, were you speaking to me? >> we just had a big jet plane that went over. i dent catch anything but the last few words. can you repeat it? >> what do you expect to see from the kennedy family once they have finished saying their good-byes to their father, uncle, grandfather? what are you expecting to see in terms of their involvement in politics? apparently we're having some technical difficulties. neil, you can answer that. >> i'm right in front of you. i have to. i think there's the question of what happens right away with his seat and if any family members get involved there. there are clearly some that are

likely suspects right now for interest at least. beyond that is your larger question is do the kennedys still have a role in the national political scene. i think that is still very much an open question. i think many of them have sort of carved out their own places in public service apart from elected office because they've seen the baggage that comes along with being a kennedy in elected office. so i don't know what the answer will be to that. >> no doubt on this day their minds are really focused on their own family and the love they have for this man who for many of them was the only father they would ever really know. neil, thank you so much for joining us. we'll continue to keep our eye on the live pictures we have coming in from passes. once again, the body of the late senator ted kennedy now heading to the presidential library in boston where he will lie in repose. a quick break here. you're watching msnbc.

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on this thursday, august 27th, we're watching live coverage here on msnbc as ted kennedy's motorcade makes its way from hyannis port, the beloved kennedy compound, for a final time heading to the city he called home, to boston. his body will lie in repose at the john f. kennedy presidential library tonight. what we're seeing is remarkable. massachusetts residents lining the roadways to wave at the passing hearse and family members following in the motorcade. a final good-bye to many. with me is neil who wrote a book about the kennedys called "the last lion: the fall and rise of ted kennedy."

it's interesting that this motorcade will take the remains of the senator past some of the points that were pivotal in his life. the place where he said a final good-bye to his mother and the face where he first worked as an assistant district attorney. you said that was an interesting period in his life before he became a politician. >> very much so. in some ways ted kennedy was the least prepared person to run for senate. when he did, aside from his name, that was really his singular credential. one of his opponents had a campaign brochure that listed qualifications and listed ted kennedy's, and there was one item brother to the president. prior to that race his father arranged for him to get a junior assistant district attorney job in suffolk county where he learned the ropes as a young lawyer. he as a gesture of goodwill and made possible by the million dollar trust fund given by his father waived the salary and

took a $1 salary. people in the office pointed out that every employee had to kick in $50 to be part of the pension fund. it cost teddy $49 to take that skrob that year. >> it's interesting that the grand gestures he was willing to make. i'm hearing from viewers that say i bumped into him once. he took the time to find out who i worked for so he could tease me about it and tease my boss about it later. he was really a man of grand gestures in small and big ways. grand gestures for the people that knew him and for whom he made those gestures. anne thompson is at the library now where the body of the senator is heading to lie in repose. what's the opportunity now for the people of massachusetts as far as what happens at the presidential library? >> they're going to have two days to see him, contessa, to view the casket and pay their respects to members of the kennedy family.

the first will be tonight from 6:00 to 11:00 p.m. then tomorrow during most of the day. there are condolence books here at the library, and outside the library there have been floral tributes arriving all day long that are being set up along one of the walls. you know, you were -- as we watched the people line the streets out of hyannis port and now as they have lined route 6 this takes you on and off cape cod, i'm just struck. this is genuine affection for a man who has been as much a part of the lives of people here in massachusetts as any relative. i mean, teddy kennedy has been their senator for 47 years. it has been as michael pointed out since 1946 that a kennedy has represented massachusetts in washington. i mean, there are people who have lived their whole lives with a kennedy as wildfione of

representatives. they aren't drawn by celebrity or tv cameras but drawn by genuine affection for this man. i think when you look at ted kennedy versus his procedures, jack and bobby, he was probably the most approachable of them. he was that hands-on politician very much always ready to take a picture, always ready to shake a hand, always ready to get in there and he loved the good political fight. today you're seeing the people of massachusetts return that affection. >> yeah. all right. anne thompson, thank you very much. we're going to take a quick break here. we'll continue to follow the motorcade's progress to boston after this. so? mmmm ok. you were right. these healthy choice fresh mixer thingys, they taste fresh... say it again! what? say it like, "mmmm, these healthy choice fresh mixers taste freshh!!" they taste fresh... wait. what are you doing? got it. you're secretly taping me? you were good too! but you know,

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's progressive. call or click today. special coverage today of the remembrances for the late

senator ted kennedy. there is caroline, kennedy, his niece in this past year really became pivotal at his side, ted kennedy's side when they threw their support to barack obama. we're waiting now for the motorcade to make its way to boston past some of the sites that were so adored by ted kennedy in his lifetime and then his body will lie in repose at his brother's presidential library in boston. as we watch this day and so many remembering what was wonderful about ted kennedy, there's a lot of speculation about what happens now. not only within the family and who decides to stay in politics or enter politics, but on capitol hill as well. facing a major piece of legislation and what happens to that health care reform without ted kennedy there. >> ted kennedy called the cause of my life in that "newsweek"

cover a story a few weeks ago. i'm standing here on the other side of a granite from senator kennedy's office. this is where the television crews come to do reports that i'm doing now. we would often see the senator himself walking his two portuguese water dogs out to the senate park adjacent to the russell senate office building where we are today, and although he'll be missed. on the health care debate, people say that senator kennedy harkens from a different era in the senate when people would fight like the dickens on legislation on the floor and committee and afterwards go out for dinner and have a drink together, and socialize together with families. that era is gone. senator kennedy now minus a vote of our democrats. if this bill does come to the senate floor, a lot of people talk about the impact he would have had if he were here. this is a different era and a far more polarized air rar and

it's hard to see where senator kennedy could have found commonly ground who on pose this still, contessa. >> we shall keep a watch on that in the days to come. thank you very much. we're going to take a quick break here. our coverage continues after this. (announcer) before they give you the lowest price, some pharmacies make you work for it with memberships and fees. but not walmart. they have hundreds of generic prescriptions for just $4 for up to a 30-day supply and no gimmicks. save money. live better. walmart. and my dog bailey and i love to hang out in the kitchen... so she can watch me cook. you just love the aromas of beef tenderloin... and, ooh, rotisserie chicken. yes, you do. [ barks ] yeah. you're so special, you deserve a very special dog food. [ woman ] introducing chef michael's canine creations. the deliciously different way to serve up your love at mealtime. chef-inspired. dog-desired. chef michael's canine creations.

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