(The opinions expressed in guest op-eds are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.)

On December 19, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced that he would not vote in favor of President Biden’s $5 trillion Build Back Better bill because it would spur more inflation, add trillions of dollars to the national debt, drive energy costs higher, and incentivize greater government dependence.

Manchin’s opposition to his own party’s mega spending bill (the largest in U.S. history) is strictly due to the social and economic damage it would inflict upon all Americans, especially future generations, who would be stuck paying the bill for Build Back Better.

However, that has not stopped members of the Squad, a group of misguided socialists who believe they run the entire U.S. government, from hurling completely unfounded racial epithets at Manchin because he does not support Build Back Better.

For instance, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) took to CNN immediately after Manchin’s announcement, where he cavalierly called his congressional colleague a white supremacist without any evidence to back up his libelous slander.

According to Bowman, “It’s tremendously frustrating for me as a Black man in America because once again, it’s an example of Joe Manchin as a White man showing that he doesn’t care about Black people, he doesn’t care about Latinos, he doesn’t care about immigrants, he doesn’t care about women, and he doesn’t care about the poor. He is a millionaire, and he has the privilege to kick the can down the road and not vote for this bill while the people in my district are suffering.”

Actually, Manchin does care about all Americans, regardless of race, which is why he opposed Build Back Better in the first place.

Someone should enlighten Bowman that passing Build Back Better would almost certainly make life worse for all Americans, including blacks, Latinos, women, etc. because spending $5 trillion that we don’t have would certainly drive inflation higher than its current level of 6.8 percent, a 39-year high.

Yet, as evidenced by fellow Squad member Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), hurling unfounded racial attacks against Manchin because he is worried about inflation and other pressing concerns, is par for the course when it comes to the Squad’s putrid political playbook.

In November, Bush tweeted this racially tinged attack against Manchin after he displayed qualms about Build Back Better: “Joe Manchin’s opposition to the Build Back Better Act is anti-Black, anti-child, anti-woman, and anti-immigrant. When we talk about transformative change, we are talking about a bill that will benefit Black, brown and Indigenous communities…”

Once again, it is paramount to state that under no circumstances in any way whatsoever has Sen. Manchin said he opposed Build Back Better because it would disproportionately help minority communities—which it would not, but that is beside the point.

The real point is that the Squad does not have a leg to stand on when it comes to defending Build Back Better on its merits. Such is why they are resorting to malicious and totally false race-based attacks on a senator who has no history of racial animosity.

Fortunately, Sen. Manchin has shown that he is not willing to submit to the vitriol of the race-baiters in the Squad. And good for him for not doing so.

The only way to silence the Squad and put an end to their never-ending race-baiting tactics is for more people like Manchin to stay strong in the face of bogus race-based tirades.

Manchin’s defiance of the Squad’s race card gambit should be applauded just as much as his courage to stand up for the millions of Americans who would be worse off in so many ways if Build Back Better were ever to become the law of the land. Thankfully, that won’t be happening anytime soon.

Chris Talgo ([email protected]) is senior editor at The Heartland Institute.