Advocacy & Safety - President Obama rides without a helmet in Martha's Vineyard, critics pounce

It's not like he's riding with cars #1, and #2, he's got the heavily armed secret service right behind him, ready to shoot anyone not authorized to be near him.

In any event, some are criticizing the pres:


On Thursday, the nation's first father did have his two young daughters don the protective headgear for a bicycle ride on Martha's Vineyard, an island preserve for rich people just off the coast of Massachusetts.

But as commander-in-chief and national role model, ex-Sen. Obama declined to wear a helmet. His allegedly protective detail did not insist. And the ocean breezes no doubt felt wonderful flowing freely around his cool shades and over his naked head. He looked like a trillion bucks.

Last summer on vacation in Hawaii Obama was famous for not wearing a shirt over those naked, now presidential pecs. This summer the famous photo will be him not wearing a helmet.

During a 2008 bicycle ride with his family in the urban wilds of Chicago, the wannabe president did wear one of those goofy-looking helmets that make your forehead sweat and fog up sunglasses. (See photo below.)

And some disrespectful bloggers sitting on their broad behinds in air-conditioned work spaces poked....

...fun at the ambitious, do-gooding, Democratic community organizer obediently following the rules of people who think they know best what to require others to do.

But now that (despite the troublesome birth certificate issue) the Illinois politician has been elected as the most powerful person on Earth, he has, in effect, told helmet supporters to go chew on his chin strap.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/08/obama-shuns-bike-helmet.html

:rolleyes:

Anyway, here's the best picture of him I could find and so aside from the helmet issue, what kind of bike is he riding? It looks like a Jamis to me. Sasha's got a trek.

http://www.daylife.com/photo/05IS3RG3ap9uY

And in the parts of the world that actually encourage bicycle use, helmet use is typically low.

It is only in those other areas of the world, where cycling is frowned upon, that folks typically wear styrofoam hats.

In both the Chicago and Martha's Vineyard pictures it looks to me like his saddle is little on the low side. Does the president need a bike fit session?

Speedo

The president could have given his daughters and other young people a better example but I suspect he has not given the helmet issue much thought.

In general, I enjoy seeing political figures of any stripe on bicycles.

bikes kill people....

A big part of why helmet use in the US is probably more important than places like, maybe, Amsterdam, is that we have to contend with a lot of BS on the roads. I think Obama is probably pretty safe, between being on Martha's Vineyard and with a 10-foot-thick meat shield around him. In the pics I've seen of him riding with traffic nearby, he's wearing a helmet.

bikes kill people....

no, cars kill people...

Slow........news.........day.........

It is only in those other areas of the world, where cycling is frowned upon, that folks typically wear styrofoam hats.

Never pass up an opportunity to play the victim.

What kind of fool rides without a helmet?

What kind of fool rides without a helmet?

One that has no fear...

I ride without a helmet all the time... just as I did throughout my youth. (I didn't start wearing a helmet until I was about 28 years old)

I do wear a helmet whenever I am either mountain biking (as I fall every darn time... ) or when I ride amongst those 4 wheeled metal boxy things you hear and see everywhere. (sometimes they can be hard to dodge). :D

Never pass up an opportunity to play the victim.

Play the victim, or just spotlight the truth...

Funny how helmet sales do so poorly in places like Finland and Copenhagen...

Yet in the USA, where less than 2% of the population cycles regularly, cycling is considered dangerous enough that helmet use is mandatory for certain ages.

I am shocked, first smoking, now this! What if he falls and hits his head? He'll become a burden on our heath care system. He shouldn't be admitted to a hospital if he's is hurt due to his careless lifestyle.

I ride helmet free 95% of the time. I balance that out by riding with MR. Tuffies 95% of the time as well, significantly reducing my chance of biting it on a descent on a dirty or glass strewn road.

http://pe.ma/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/trackobama.jpg

Looks like they're moving at a walking pace. No way I'd bust out a helmet for that.
That probably explains the low saddle. He's putting a foot down every 10 yards.

EDIT: probably no way I'd bust out a bike for that. Might as well walk/jog alongside the girls.

We get this new healthcare bill passed I hope we don't allow medical care for fools who ride without helmets and then hurt themselves. I don't want my tax dollars paying for that.

I don't want my tax dollars paying for med. bills of anyone that gets out of bed in anything less than full body armor.

We get this new healthcare bill passed I hope we don't allow medical care for fools who ride without helmets and then hurt themselves. I don't want my tax dollars paying for that.
Doncha mean:
I don't want my tax dollars paying for anybody doing anything I wouldn't do or approve.

A more popular proposal, with just as much rational and logical thought behind it, would be not to reimburse any cyclist for any injuries incurred in any collision with any motorist on any road since everybody like IGH knows that those "fools" bring on their own problems by riding where every JackAss knows that cyclists don't belong.

Where are all the frothy liberal posters who preach helmet use? This messageboard is full of them! Where are you guys?

There are numerous 200+ post threads where liberal activist holier-than-thou libs rant on and on about helmet use. Why not in this thread? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

Doncha mean:
I don't want my tax dollars paying for anybody doing anything I wouldn't do or approve.

A more popular proposal, with just as much rational and logical thought behind it, would be not to reimburse any cyclist for any injuries incurred in any collision with any motorist on any road since everybody like IGH knows that those "fools" bring on their own problems by riding where every JackAss knows that cyclists don't belong.

Perfect! OHB does believe in the nanny state, you've summerized just right :roflmao2:

Really, IGH?!?! You sound just like the haters that show up on any local story complaining about how THEIR tax dollars shouldn't be used to subsidize those selfish cyclists getting a free ride!

It is kinda nice to have minimal helmet nannies tho, isn't it? :lol:
But Mr. IGH is a doozy, ain't he?

From the reports I've read, no helmet was needed.

Good thing he wears a helmet, I wouldn't want him to hurt himself.

I think the head damage is already done.

He appears to be naked and complaining of shrinkage in his profile pic. Ain't nothin' safe about that!

Where are all the frothy liberal posters who preach helmet use? This messageboard is full of them! Where are you guys?

There are numerous 200+ post threads where liberal activist holier-than-thou libs rant on and on about helmet use. Why not in this thread? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

???!!!???!!!

How did helmet wearing get to be a "liberal" issue?

Speedo

I would encourage him to continue to ride without a helmet.

What's the big deal anyways? He's a big boy and can make the decision about what's best for his safety.

liberals = nanny state and all that rot. I advise browsing P&R for more info, if you dare. :eek:

I better brush up on who's doing what to whom. I thought it was the "base" (talk about "rot"!) that prided themselves on riding a moral high horse while legislating "morality" on to the great unwashed. Helmet Nannys should fit right in with that chucklehead crowd.

liberals = nanny state and all that rot. I advise browsing P&R for more info, if you dare. :eek:

Funny, I'd expect that the helmet issue (like a lot of bike related issues) would cut across political stripes.

Speedo

Do hardcore members of "the base" simultaneously whine about their tax dollars in a health insurance revamp, AND have no problems with their tax dollars going to take care of all the extra unwanted babies we'd have around if abortion was outlawed?

Funny, I'd expect that the helmet issue (like a lot of bike related issues) would cut across political stripes.

Speedo

I agree, JackAsses of all stripes have been known to Nanny Bray about the Magical Powers of Helmets.

The president could have given his daughters and other young people a better example but I suspect he has not given the helmet issue much thought.

In general, I enjoy seeing political figures of any stripe on bicycles.

That is the only issue I have. Don't really care about the rest, but I really dislike the you have to but I don't approach that so many parents take towards their kids. If his kids need to wear a helmet then he should when he is with them.

That is the only issue I have. Don't really care about the rest, but I really dislike the you have to but I don't approach that so many parents take towards their kids. If his kids need to wear a helmet then he should when he is with them.

I'm willing to give him a pass based on experience... the kids need helmets 'cause they are still learning to bike...

If he doesn't wear a helmet, the SS should force him to, it's for his own good, like stopping a bullet for him. Why is that so hard to understand?

I'm willing to give him a pass based on experience... the kids need helmets 'cause they are still learning to bike...

Right. They also need them because helmet use is required by law for children under age of 16yr. in MA.

Mr IGH, you and your helmet-law-loving, crying-about-your-taxes-paying-for-health-care buddies got it backwards.

The protective gear needs to be on our environment, not on us. Nerf the world and imagine the safety and health care savings!

I don't believe that a Styrofoam hat will magically protect me from any and all dangers and accidents.
I do however believe that it may help minimize damage to the helmet I was born with in some situations,
I also believe in free choice.

Mr IGH, you and your helmet-law-loving, crying-about-your-taxes-paying-for-health-care buddies got it backwards....

After OBH and Eric Holder finish off the CIA, I hope they start locking up haters like you. A few years in the re-education camp should fix your helmet-hating ways!

If he doesn't wear a helmet, the SS should force him to, it's for his own good, like stopping a bullet for him. Why is that so hard to understand?

Is it for his own good? Why should he not be allowed to make that decision himself?

Is it for his own good? Why should he not be allowed to make that decision himself?

Please, you aren't one of those "people" that think an individual's rights come before the needs of the State?

Please, you aren't one of those "people" that think an individual's rights come before the needs of the State?

He's not an individual - he's a branch of the federal government.

After OBH and Eric Holder finish off the CIA, I hope they start locking up haters like you. A few years in the re-education camp should fix your helmet-hating ways!

I actually LOVE my helmet. There are some rides I'd not attempt without a helmet. I don't feel the need to wear it on every ride, however.

Who knows, perhaps you and I both are under-protected on the bike. Unless this is you...
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74iIg4oZ94)

i would encourage him to continue to ride without a helmet.

+100

If he doesn't wear a helmet, the SS should force him to, it's for his own good, like stopping a bullet for him. Why is that so hard to understand?

Maybe they've looked into helmet effectiveness and feel their time is better spent elsewhere.

Speedo

Since Chip left this thread has descended into politics. There are a plethora of threads and sites for that matter for you to voice your opinion of the current president and his policies in that capacity. Please go find one and keep this to (yet another) "I'm outraged/I could care less that a noteworthy person was seen riding w/o a helmet."

What a dare-devil! Sitting on a bicycle without a helmet. Does Obama also play basketball without a helmet?

There are rumors of a 'Bucks For Brain Buckets' stimulus program in the works. There will be a ten dollar credit for anyone who trades in an old bicycle helmet for a new, energy-efficient, one. It's intended to give a boost to the struggling styrofoam industry. In order to qualify, the helmet buyer will have to prove that they have worn the trade-in helmet at least 95% of the times they have ridden a bicycle in the last year. Critics of the program have been quick to point out that the paperwork will be a nightmare.

Another bill that would have required 'black box' GPS locating modules on all helmets as an aid in the investigation of helmet effectiveness failed to gain any support.

IGH, you're coming across as possessing great sarcasm, but I do want to point out that once you PAY those taxes, they aren't yours anymore...so you can't claim any ownership of tax dollars. The gov't will do pretty much as they have done for the last god-knows-how-many-years with "our" tax dollars -- whatever they d*mn*d well please.

If Obama was my child, he'd HAVE to wear a helmet to get to ride. But he's not, as we're almost the same age, so he's free to say 'no' to the styro derby....

In previous photos, Obama was riding a Trek 7000. I assume that this is the same bike.

I'm happy that O. is smart enough not to buy into the helmet hype.