Keyes Blames Media, GOP for Loss

Alan Keyes blamed the media and fellow Republicans on Thursday for his lopsided loss to Democrat Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate race in Illinois.

Keyes also said he did not congratulate Obama after the race was called, a tradition among politicians, because doing so would have been a “false gesture” because he believed Obama’s views on issues such as abortion were wicked.

“I’m supposed to make a call that represents the congratulations toward the triumph of that which I believe ultimately stands for and will stand for a culture evil enough to destroy the very soul and heart of my country,” Keyes said. “I can’t do this, and I will not make a false gesture.”

The former diplomat and two-time presidential candidate, who lost to Obama by 43 percentage points Tuesday, gave his first post-election interview Thursday to a Christian talk-show host.

Keyes said that despite the loss, he thought he did a good job spreading his message of moral values.

He said he was disappointed in what he called the number of “Republicans in name only” in Illinois. An Associated Press exit poll showed that four in 10 Republicans voted for Obama.

Keyes said a major difficulty in his campaign was overcoming the “stranglehold” the media had on trying to define the issues of importance in political campaigns.

“I refused to accept their authority, and I still do,” he said.