The reckless Republican decision to begin a chaotic Senate floor fight over the future of health care in America, with nothing but the abstract goal of gutting Obamacare to anchor the process, is like a leap into a dark void.

It has been widely noted that by submitting to this process—which began with secret bill writing, continued with secret horse trading, and now moves to a rule-bound debate over no tangible bill—Senate Republicans have enabled a calamitous erosion of democratic accountability without any clear substantive outcome in mind.

The nature of the process underway in the Senate right now—unlimited amendments to an underlying bill that hasn’t been decided upon yet and may not exist—could easily yield unworkable legislation that breaks the health care system, but becomes law anyhow.

Republicans don’t know, in other words, what’s at the bottom of the void, or whether it’s bottomless. What makes it even more outrageous is that none of the Republican senators can trust any of the other Republican senators to adhere to any consistent principle. They have no idea what each others’ breaking points or bottom-line commitments are.

The Trumpcare process has been defined by the lies Republicans have had to tell their constituents and each other to keep the process going. For the most part, the specific lies have pertained to the substance of the repeal endeavor itself. These aren’t overstated generalizations that won’t prove to be literally true, but claims that are directionally opposed to the truth.