Score one for the Democrats on the issue of representing the concerns of women. The party puts Lilly Ledbetter on stage, the symbol of ‘equal pay for equal work,’ and brings the issue of fairness to the forefront. She hits a nerve when she states that maybe 23 cents doesn’t sound like much to a person with a “Swiss bank account and Cayman Island investments…” Smart move to bring out the genuine article: a real person, now personified by a historic law, as a direct response to the Republican’s nostalgia that way on display last week in Tampa.

And Governor Deval Patrick challenges Democrats to “grow a backbone and stand up for what we believe.” It was a powerful line and one of the strongest speeches by an elected official on the floor of the convention. Patrick is showing himself to be a potential candidate for the White House.