Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the recently chosen Democratic vice presidential candidate, was blasted online after a video circulated in which he appeared to attack free speech.
In an unbelievable moment, this politician said that free speech is not guaranteed for misinformation.
“I think we need to push back on this. There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, and especially around our democracy,” Walz remarked in an eight-second video widely circulated on social media.
WATCH:
The problem with the lefties talking about misinformation is that they and only they get to define what misinformation is, and it turns out to always be truths that they don’t want to be repeated.
The short tape was taken from an interview with Walz on MSNBC in December, during which he discussed rhetoric used to influence recent elections. The journalist questioned him about election-related tactics to deceive voters, which were previously deemed “shenanigans” but were getting more “ominous,” as she characterized.
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL“Years ago it was the little things, telling people to vote the day after the election, and you know, we kinda brushed them off. Now we know it’s intimidation at the ballot box. It’s undermining the idea that mail-in ballots aren’t legal,” Walz answered.
“I think we need to push back on this. There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, and especially around our democracy,” he continued. “Tell the truth, where the voting places are, who can vote, who’s able to be there, and watching some states continue to weaken the protections around the ballot I think is what’s inspiring us to lean into this.”
Walz was referring to the prosecution of Douglass Mackey, who ran a pro-Trump account and shared a meme misinforming Democrat voters during the 2016 election. He was sentenced to seven months in prison for what many on the right saw as a politically motivated violation of free speech.
Many criticized Walz for opposing free speech, even when it could be classified as hate speech or misinformation.
“This is a dangerous—and constitutionally illiterate—idea. If the First Amendment only protects ‘true’ speech, then the govt gets to decide what is true. That means there is no free speech,” said Jason Bedrick of the Heritage Foundation.
Commentator Mary Katharine Ham said, “This is, in fact, misinformation and disturbing. But pretty on brand for a guy on a D ticket. Hope the high schoolers got out of his class without this lecture!”
“Apparently, he was a social studies teacher. To be fair, this absolutely tracks with the quality of that one class in high school they made the football coach teach,” wrote writer Emily Zanotti.
“This is who Tim Walz really is. An angry unpleasant communist. He’s not this smiley, cheerful ‘dad’ they are pushing on us,” came the response.
Social media was not kind.
HOLY SH!T
Governor Tim Walz: NO RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH if the government decides it is misinformation or hateful
This man is a dangerous commie pic.twitter.com/hE8xGcRx87
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 7, 2024
🚨 WOW: Tim Walz says you have NO RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH if the government deems it “misinformation.”
This guy’s a full blown communist!pic.twitter.com/0FdSg73OEK
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 7, 2024
Tim Walz: “There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech and especially around our democracy” pic.twitter.com/4pNBwb8Su7
— Matt Wolking (@MattWolking) August 7, 2024
DNC VP Candidate Tim Walz: ardent defender of attacking free speech in order to kowtow to subjective government-defined "misinformation" and "hate speech" restrictions to subjugate the population. Free speech is absolute. pic.twitter.com/BKbfJV57sX
— Libertarian Party (@LPNational) August 7, 2024
Holy shit!
The problem with the lefties talking about "misinformation" is that they and only they get to define what misinformation is, and it turns out to always be truths that they don't want to be repeated.
This guy is radical.https://t.co/SUhtKD4Mbr
— Rich 🇺🇸 (@Scafmars) August 7, 2024
That Tim Walz falsely believes the free speech guarantee doesn't include what he considers to be 'misinformation' or 'hate speech' will bother almost no Dem supporters, since the vast majority of them want the state to be empowered to censor dissent.pic.twitter.com/z74vizL9HT
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 7, 2024
Tim Walz says we don’t have a Constitutional right to free speech for “misinformation”
And who determines what is “misinformation”?
Well Tim Walz of course!
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) August 7, 2024
Kamala’s VP pick, socialist Tim Walz says:
"There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, especially around our democracy."
Understand what this means… Democrats want to define what you’re allowed to say and they want to criminalize all opposition. pic.twitter.com/wQbCh78L2W
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) August 7, 2024
Tim Walz: "There is no guarantee to free speech on misinformation."
Tim Walz wants to punish speech for being "misinformation." So does he want to punish himself for lying about his military service or his DUI? pic.twitter.com/QP251J7Mad
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) August 7, 2024
Tim Walz is 100% against free speech.
He is a hardcore communist/tyrant. pic.twitter.com/1422JTXzU1
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) August 7, 2024
