As the calendar page flips to August and both parties look to the month-long recess to reach out to their constituencies, there's a decidedly different mood in each of the two chambers. On the House side, Democrats, sporting a much larger majority, have worked to ensure passage of numerous bills this year, yet still have little to show for it. With bill after bill shelved in the Senate, House Democrats have been relegated to simply pointing to their voting records, rather than any legislation they've been key in enacting.

On the Senate side, Democrats look to complete their latest legislative session. Although they've managed to pass legislation reforming Wall Street, they have fallen short on energy and climate legislation. That means that action, or the lack thereof, from both chambers should make this year's midterm elections all the more interesting.

Late last Friday, the House departed for a six-week recess that will undoubtedly be a high-stakes messaging battle as both parties jockey for votes and control of the chamber come next session.

Few would argue that it's been anything but a frustrating year for the House Democrats. While the majority party was able to pass many of the changes they set out to address at the beginning of the year, many bills, including the full tax-extenders package and numerous emergency spending and tax bills, have stalled in the Senate. Those on the Democratic side worry that they just haven't had the successes needed to retain their seats.

Nevertheless, House Democrats pushed ahead last week, passing legislation in their new "Make It in America" agenda. Critics of these bills have say much of the legislation included initiatives with little chance of passing the Senate and argue they will be used only for political visibility come this fall.

That left only the pared-down energy legislation on the docket. This legislation, which the Obama administration strongly supported, passed the House by a vote of 201-193.

Targeted to "boost safety requirements on offshore drilling, revamp the way the Interior Department regulates and oversees drilling, lift the $75 million liability cap on spill damages and give subpoena power to the presidential commission investigating the spill," the bill is almost certain to fall short in the Senate.

Only time will tell whether Democrats in the House will be able to keep their seats.

Senate Making One Final Push

Democrats in the Senate, however, are gearing up for another week of political wedge building, lining up chamber votes that they hope will lead the American voter to tick a Democratic box this fall.

While Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) had hoped July would be the month to debate and pass comprehensive energy reform legislation, opposition to the bill made passage so unlikely that Reid had to pull the original version from consideration.

What was once a sweeping and comprehensive overhaul has now been pared down to a much narrower bill that mirrors the House version closely; it eliminates the cap on oil companies' liability for spills, reorganizes the Interior Department and raises standards of safety on offshore drilling rigs.

Unfortunately for the Majority Leader, even this pared-down version doesn't seem to have the support needed to clear any procedural hurdles; many expect support for the bill to break down strictly along party lines. This would leave the Democrats short of the necessary votes to break any Republican-led filibuster.

Debate and Confirmation Expected on Kagan

In the meantime, lawmakers are also expected to debate and confirm the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. While some groups, such as the National Rifle Association, have opposed her nomination, fearing that she might narrow the interpretation on gun rights, several Republicans have already pledged their support, almost ensuring her approval.

This leaves only a few days to debate and pass any other legislation. Lawmakers will vote Monday to end debate on a $26.1 billion package intended for the states, including $10 billion for an education jobs fund and $16.1 billion in Medicaid assistance.

Democrats attempted last week to pass the state aid, which is supported by a large bipartisan group of governors, according to "The Hill." Republicans blocked the effort, however, and are unlikely to change their minds before the Senate recess begins next Monday.