Does the First Amendment protect someone's "right" to speak to me in public? To get in my face?

[NYC Liberal]

17. Of course they do! That is a FUNDAMENTAL principle of the First Amendment.

You have every right to hand out pamphlets and literature. You have every right to approach someone on the street and ask them to vote for your candidate.

Have you ever canvassed during an election? That could legally be banned if the First Amendment did not protect speaking to anyone.

Imagine if you were banned from speaking to anyone on the street about the war. Or the environment. Or just about any subject. Remember "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine? That was handed out in the streets. Pre-Constitution, yes, but that sort of thing was exactly what was on everyone's minds when the Constitution was written.

Now of course, you also have the right to ignore anyone on the street and they obviously can't harass you, chase you, etc. But thankfully the Supreme Court affirmed the power of states to enact restrictions -- they just have to be targeted at specific problems, not just a blanket restriction on everyone before they've even done anything.