Politically speaking, it’s been a relatively quiet August recess for members of Congress: no screaming health care town halls like the ones in 2009, no emergency sessions to approve aid to the states, which occupied time last August. Of course, those members representing the east coast have been busy with earthquakes and hurricanes. And for those involved in foreign relations, it’s been a hectic period: riots in London, a violent crackdown in Syria and the collapse of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in Libya. Still, for the average Republican freshman returning home for his or her first summer work period, the time has been their first real break from a tumultuous year.

Hopefully, House Speaker John Boehner enjoyed the silence this Labor Day weekend. He’s got a tough few months ahead of him. After a near-government shutdown and a dangerous round of brinkmanship over raising the debt ceiling, Boehner’s job will be to maintain this sense of calm through an Indian summer and into next year. The debt ceiling battle was more bruising for Boehner – and his freshman class – than anybody anticipated. Congressional approval ratings are at historic lows: Gallup has them at 13%, the AP/GfK survey puts them at 12% and a New York Times/CBS poll this month found Congress with the highest disapproval rating ever – 82%.