People need to see the bigger picture here.
In case you haven't yet noticed, the extreme left and extreme right are currently the most powerful forces in politics. When times are bad, people grab on to extremes. Obama is widely considered to be far-left, and he won two elections. Far left liberal politicians are winning like hotcakes, Elizabeth Warren, Bill DeBlasio etc.. the same thing is happening on the right.
The "center" politicians, otherwise known as "RINO's" and "DINO's" are being phased out and left in the dust. Center politicians on both sides are very, very scared and are moving more and more to the right or left to stay relevant. People like Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid, both formerly somewhat conservative are now all-out liberals. The Clintons were quite conservative and have also become far more liberal to stay relevant. (Bill signed the DOMA act into law!!!)
The politicians in the center that remain in the center, especially the ones who are willing to negotiate with the opposite party are going to get purged.
Eric Cantor got purged.