His political clout did not hurt his image. O'Neill's influence helped bring the district money for depressing Boston's central artery--a massive public works project that locals have dubbed "Tip O'Neill's Going Away Present."

The Weight of the Eighth

By 1986, the people of the district were used to having somebody who could throw their weight around in Washington.

In previous decades, Harvard academics (including Winthrop Professor of History Stephan A. Thernstrom) and prominent district residents toyed with the idea of running against O'Neill for the seat, but, upon sober reflection, most bowed out.

Vallely flirted with the idea of running for the seat when O'Neill announced his retirement.

A "conservative democrat" who had amassed a solidly liberal voting record on Beacon Hill, Vallely was widely expected to spend more money than any other candidate. When Joseph P. Kennedy III., decided to enter the race, "I grew an understanding of reality," Vallely said.

But Vallely says he decided the Kennedy name would be too much to overcome.

"The Kennedys are a talented political family in the sense that they do understand people's concerns," he says.

"Regardless of how much they get beaten up, people are under the impression that they are on their side," he says. Vallely then swung his support to Kennedy.

Although Kennedy had little political experience, he quickly learned the political game, endearing himself to the academic gliteratti of the district.

When then Assistant Secretary of State Elliot Abrahms threatened to cancel a planned speech at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government because the school had invited Robert White, a liberal former U.S. ambassador to El Savador to balance the panel, Kennedy publicly threw his support behind White.

White, wrote Kenney, "was respected and admired in the Cambridge academic-liberal community, and now Joe Kennedy had emerged as his protector and ally."

To many voters in the eighth district, Kenney concludes, this display of power was reminiscent of Tip O'Neill's personal political power.

Bachrack was a former state senator who, in contrast to Kennedy, had a political base but no a powerful name.

Today he insists he truly believed he could beat Kennedy.