CONCORD, N.H.–In a move that epitomized his philosophy of personal liberty and individual choice, politician-physician Ron Paul suspended his presidential campaign Friday for a bike ride–without a helmet.
Brilliant leaf-peeping weather broke out at noon in time for the Texas congressman to take a 12-mile ride, a break in a day of campaigning.
Clad in snappy white matching Pearl Izumi bikewear, Mr. Paul said he “dared” his GOP rivals to break from the campaign trail for time on the bike paths. Pausing for the cameras before his ride through leafy Concord with campaign staffer Brian Early,
Mr. Paul, an avid cyclist at age 76, offered his libertarian view on fitness: “I don’t think responsibility for taking care of ourselves, mentally or physically, should be the responsibility of the government.”
And, as if to underscore his words, he pedaled off without a helmet.
When President Barack Obama went helmet-free while cycling with his family on Martha’s Vineyard in 2009, it raised enough eyebrows that he never did it again. But Mr. Obama, Ron Paul staffers point out, favors government regulation.
Mr. Paul, an obstetrician with 4,000 deliveries on his resume, believes federal laws governing helmets on motorcycles as well as smoking and narcotics use are a waste of time and money. So in the name of liberty, “we’ll take a little bad press,” a staffer said.
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