Boehner Downplays Norquist's Influence On GOP

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that the attitude surrounding the “super committee” and congressional leadership is “one of nervousness,” once again urging members of the 12-member panel to find common ground before a fast-approaching Thanksgiving deadline.

“I think the mood is one of nervousness,” Boehner told reporters during a Thursday press conference. “This is hard, and everybody knows it’s hard. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the work of all the members of the committee and their effort to try and come to an agreement. “

A bipartisan group of lawmakers sent a letter Wednesday recommending that both entitlement cuts and new revenues be included in a grand bargain deal that would make a significant dent in the nation’s debt. The letter seemed to have instilled a sense of hope in Congress that a deal was not as improbable as many had thought.

However, anti-tax activist Grover Norquist offered his skepticism of 40 Republican signatures attached to the letter, saying “there’s nothing wrong with considering all options. Consider anything. Just don’t vote for a tax increase,” according to reports.

Norquist, who heads the group Americans for Tax Reform has collected signatures from nearly every Republican in Congress - including Boehner - pledging to oppose the inclusion of any tax increase in a potential “super committee” deal.

During his remarks, Boehner side-stepped questions regarding Norquist’s influence on the Republican conference. Boehner, who signed Norquist’s pledge opposing tax increases, referred to the anti-tax activist as “some random person” and shied away from acknowledging his clout among rank-and-file Republicans.

“Our focus here is on jobs. We’re getting everything we can to get our economy moving again and get people back to work. It’s not often I’m asked about some random person in America,” Boehner answered. “Our conference is opposed to tax hikes because we believe that tax hikes will hurt our economy and put Americans out of work.”