Ken Calvert is pretty much your generic, right-wing Congressman.  There’s nothing too special about him. He’s slightly corrupt, but hasn’t yet gotten his freezer raided.  However, he has been named as one of the top 15 most corrupt.  But you know, that is kind of par for the course these days.

Now, Bill Hedrick ran a tight race against Calvert back in 2008. So, what is Calvert doing to bolster his campaign these days. Why by signing Grover Norquist’s inflexibility pledge.

Calvert, who in a recent press release touted his signature on Americans for Tax Reform’s anti-tax pledge, helped protect companies that ship American jobs overseas by voting against the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act. The deficit neutral legislation, passed by Congress and signed into law, saved and created 320,000 jobs and was paid for in part by closing tax loopholes that enable companies to take advantage of foreign tax credits and move assets, production and jobs overseas.

“Congressman Calvert needs to get his priorities straight,” said Hedrick. “Local teachers and first-responders are losing their jobs due to budget cuts, and Congressman Calvert showed us that he’d rather protect tax loopholes used by companies that ship American jobs overseas than close them to help keep local police officers on the beat. I can’t think of anything more elitist than a career politician bragging about how he puts corporate special interests before his constituents at a time when communities in Orange and Riverside counties are facing unemployment rates at or near double digits.”

It is good to see Democratic challengers going after Republicans for signing this stupid pledge.