Racist teabaggin' surgeon - McKalip - resigns from leadership post

[jefferson_dem]

Dr. David McKalip, surgeon who forwarded Obama e-mail, resigns from leadership post
By Letitia Stein, Times Staff Writer

Published Friday, July 24, 2009

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ST. PETERSBURG — The president-elect of the Pinellas County Medical Association stepped down Friday, apologizing profusely for forwarding an e-mail image that portrayed President Barack Obama as a witch doctor in a loin cloth and headdress with bones in his nose.

Dr. David McKalip, a St. Petersburg neurosurgeon, said he is taking a year's leave of absence from a leadership role at the American Medical Association. He also plans to take a lower public profile in health care reform debate.

"That e-mail depicted such an offense image, and it was completely inappropriate for me to thoughtlessly forward it out," McKalip said. "A person in my position, who's trying to help patients and trying to do it in organized medicine, needs to think hard about the people he's going to hurt when he sends out images like that."

"That took a while to sink in," he added.

McKalip said he had forwarded the image, captioned "ObamaCare, coming soon to a clinic near you," to about 150 people. Several popular liberal blogs highlighted it on Thursday, where he was blasted for racism.

State Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, called for McKalip's resignation from leadership of the county medical association. Rouson said the doctor called him Friday morning and offered his "sincerest" apology.

"Let's hope that he learned that there are some insensitive things that we should not pass on," Rouson said. "It would have been better had he sent whoever sent it to him a response of outrage and an affront — and please don't send this kind of thing to me again — as opposed to making a choice to distribute it.

As word of McKalip's e-mail spread, leaders of prominent medical institutions distanced themselves from his actions.

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http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/article1021553.ece

[babylonsister]

1. Sounds like a soap opera. Politics. nt

[Cha]

2. Again Wow! That was fast..

good..that even sounded like a sincere apology..maybe 'cause he got busted but I hope he's learned something..ya :think:

[tblue37]

3. Wow--he sent it to a lot of people. Didn't he think that in such a large number

of people, one might find such an offensive, racist image annoying?

[alcibiades_mystery]

4. It probably never occurred to him that it was *racist*

As we've learned recently, nothing is racist. Stuff is just personal, you know?

[tanyev]

9. That's the part I really don't understand about so many GOPers getting busted

for sending offensive stuff. OK, I'm sure they think it's hilarious and their inevitable apologies after the fact are simply done out of self-preservation, but do they really think that there is no one on their email list who might be offended by the crap they send? Why doesn't the self-preservation thing kick in before they hit the send button?

[tblue37]

13. Yeah--one guy that got busted sent the watermelons on the WH lawn

email to a list that included an African American woman (who was the person who exposed him). Did he think that all Republicans, even African American ones, would find that hilarious?

Or are they so racist that they simply assume that of course no African Americans are Republicans? True, few are, but as Michael Steele and J.J. Watts indicate, there are some.

[kestrel91316]

5. My prediction: his full court press damage control will fail, and he will have to

close his practice because NO ONE will want to give him a dime of their money except a few mouth-breathers in town.

Bankruptcy would work for me.

[boppers]

6. The Image:

Take a deep breath before clicking, it's bad.

http://twitpic.com/amh2u

[brentspeak]

8. No question about it: That's about as racist as it gets

[grantcart]

15. holy shit

[dgibby]

7. Several popular liberal blogs highlighted it on Thursday, where he was blasted for racism.

DU being one of the main ones. Lots of us sent him emails, contacted the AMA and the hospitals he's affilated with.

The hospitals and the AMA were NOT amused! :rofl:

[Phx_Dem]

10. So now we know the real reason he apologized. He wasn't sorry

he did it, he was sorry he got caught and was in trouble with the members of the Pinella County Medical Association.

He's a racist and a huge dick.

[Phx_Dem]

11. And thank you to State Rep Darryl Rouson! n/t

[rvablue]

12. "Took a while to sink in" ..... yeah, right. Racists and bigots just don't get it.

And glad to see that the local press is covering this in detail.

Shine a light on these neanderthal thugs and their hateful garbage.

Bet he doesn't think that pic of the President is "so funny" anymore!

[MadMaddie]

14. Well I am waiting for the "It's Obama's fault that I sent it out" from

surgeon - McKalip. That's what they do....

[burning rain]

16. Good. What an appalling man.

I regretted that Rachel Maddow didn't show the horrendous graphic of our president when she discussed the matter, out of what I consider misguided sensitivity. Pictures have more power due to feeble imaginations, and people need to learn fully, however awful the pictures may be.

[noiretextatique]

17. he's better than most...at least he sounds remorseful

unlike the other republican assholes who have made racist or anti-gay comments of late. or sent racist emails. you really have to wonder what goes on in these folks' minds.