Locals Share in Mourning of Kennedy
The Massachusetts Democrat who died Tuesday night after suffering from brain cancer had wanted today's ceremony to be held in Massachusetts "because he really believed he represented the people of Massachusetts," CBS News analyst Doug Brinkley said this morning.
Tens of thousands of his constiuents have already paid their respects for Kennedy. This morning, more gathered to witness a moment in history, or to advocate for the cause to which Kennedy dedicated his life, health care reform.
Massachusetts resident and longtime Kennedy supporter Lillian Bennett told the Associated Press she intended to get as close as she could to the invitation-only funeral.
Karen Spence of Dorchester, Mass. reportedly called Kennedy "irreplaceable."
Local establishments had their own remembrances, the AP reports -- a local pub replayed Caronline Kennedy's Friday night eulogy for her uncle, while photos of the senator decorated the windows of a nearby convenience store.
The senator learned to connect with his constituents from his grandfather, Boston mayor and congressman John Fitzgerald, Kennedy biographer and Boston Globe writer Peter Canellos said on CBS News this morning.
"He would take Ted all around Boston to show him his Boston, which was mostly working class people, and taught him one of the things that really matters in politics is knowing everybody," Canellos said.
Complete coverage of Sen. Kennedy's life and death
Yet even with neighbors lining the streets, craning their necks for a look at the ceremonial procession, "there was a sense of it being an intimate family moment, in a way so many families can relate to," CBS News Correspondent Jim Axelrod said.
Read more stories on Sen. Kennedy's life and death at CBSNews.com:
Photos: A Final Farewell
A Farewell to Edward Kennedy
Family, Political Luminaries Honor Kennedy
Caroline Kennedy: We Have to Do What He Would Have Done
Biden: Kennedy's Legacy Is How We Look at One Another
McCain: Senate "Won't Be the Same" Without Kennedy
Photos: The Scene at the JFK Library Memorial
Photos: Speakers Pay Tribute to Kennedy