empty chair

Any uncomfortable moment during a political stump speech.

"Did you notice that Chris Christie barely even mentioned Mitt Romney in his speech at the Republican National Convention?"

"Yeah, it was a total empty chair."

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Empty Chair

Verb: To display and bring attention to an empty chair/podium from someone who chickened out of an interview/debate that they promised to do as a method of humiliation.

Boris Johnson refuses to show up for the second Leaders debate about climate change, so a petition has been made for Channel 4 to empty chair him.