title:  Cruz Dedicates Empty Seat At State Of The Union To ‘50 Million Unborn Children’ Instead Of Gun Violence Victims (TWEET)
text: Yesterday, President Barack Obama made a touching tribute to the victims of gun violence. Just days after his executive action on gun control, Obama announced that he would be leaving an open seat at his future State of the Union address to represent every life that has been lost in senseless gun-related deaths   a sentiment that anyone who been affected by gun violence could appreciate.This move from our president isn t surprising  the Obamas have hosted family members of gun violence victims in State of the Union addresses before. Obama s empty state at the State of the Union will be in the First Lady s guest box.On a conference call with Organizing for Action, Obama explained the reason behind his gesture: We want them to be seen and understood; that their absence means something to this country. We want to tell their stories, we want to honor their memory and we want to support Americans whose lives have been forever changed by gun violence and remind every single one of our representatives that it s their responsibility to do something. Obama also reminded his supporters that  these kinds of important gestures only matter if it translates into action. Like clockwork, it didn t take long for a Republican to swoop in and ruin the moment. This time, it was Texas senator and presidential hopeful Ted Cruz, who decided to take the president s emotional, heartfelt remarks and turn it into a GOP talking point on abortion. Pro-birth Cruz, who has been known for his abortion and sex-related rants, tweeted this awful thing in response to Obama s tribute:Ted Cruz twitterHow sensitive. Like many of his conservative peers, Cruz has been resisting Obama s executive action hard, and making sure to add his unwanted opinion wherever and whenever possible. Currently, there is a fundraising appeal on Cruz s campaign website that claims that Obama  wants your guns  (even though Obama has repeatedly said that he believes in the Second Amendment and that legal guns will not be confiscated).Featured image via Gage Skidmore