The same Democratic Party strategists who downplay the GOP's chances of picking up 10 more seats in the Senate are the same ones who said the Dems would always keep Ted Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts.

From POLITICO:

Republicans suddenly have a conceivable path to winning back the Senate in November, after locking in top-flight candidates overnight in Illinois and Indiana.

A 10-seat pickup for the GOP — once regarded as an impossibility even by the party’s own strategists — remains very much a long shot. It would still require a win in every competitive race, something that happens only in wave elections like 1994 and 2008.

But only 14 months after the GOP was routed up and down the ballot on the night of Barack Obama’s election, the new political environment makes significant Senate gains likely. And within the past 24 hours, a Republican recapture of the Senate is at least within the realm of speculation.

With all the usual disclaimers attached — do not engage in political odds-making while taking medication or operating heavy machinery — here's why a Republican takeover is at least possible.

Could Republicans win back the Senate? - Jim VandeHei and Alexander Burns - POLITICO.com