Let S Talk About Michelle Obama S Empty Chair At The State Of The Union Address

 A chair is still a chair, even if there’s no one sitting there.



 And it came early on in the 58 minutes and 40 seconds he spent speaking atop the House Chamber dais. In context, the president’s mention of gun violence suggests that the issue remains on the agenda—a hedging way of offering acknowledgment while noting that he’d spend more time “focusing on the future” for the duration of the address.


 But Eastwood acknowledged his empty chair. Obama’s speech did not directly address the meaning and importance of the one by the first lady.



      As MSNBC’s Trymaine Lee noted, perhaps the president thought the empty chair spoke louder than words Tuesday night. But for the many, many empty chairs in Chicago homes on that very     evening, many of them belonging to black families, the pain and longing represented within that missing space could’ve been more directly connected to that     seat near the first lady.