Walz made two major free speech fumbles. He claimed there is no First Amendment right to "hate speech" and repeated the myth that you can't shout "fire" in a crowded theatre.

When Vance pivoted to correctly pointing out that Walz had previously "said there's no First Amendment right to misinformation," Walz interjected, adding "or threatening, or hate speech." 

But Walz is wrong. While threats aren't protected by the First Amendment, "hate speech" most certainly is. Speech that is merely offensive—and not part of an unprotected category like true threats or harassment—has full First Amendment protection. Walz's mistaken belief that it seems intuitively impossible for Americans to express offensive or hateful ideas reveals a censorious nature, which is extremely troubling for someone seeking the vice presidency.