The Republican Party Has Abandoned All Pretense of Democratic Governance

[Content Note: Video may autoplay at link] Rebecca Shabad at CBS News: Senate GOP eyes Tuesday for Health Care Vote, But Exact Plan up in the Air.

Calling the plan "up in the air" is far too kind. Republican Senate leadership straight-up don't want potential objectors in their caucus to see the bill before the vote, so they don't know what they're voting on and thus can't mount substantive objections.

If you imagine that's hyperbole, I assure you it is not:

Senate GOP leaders are eyeing Tuesday for a health care vote, but no one knows yet which proposal will be voted on.

Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, said the first vote will be on the House-passed health care bill from May just to open up debate and the amendment process.

"The motion to proceed will be just to get on the House bill and the substitute [amendment] will be, you know it'll be a judgment call the leader will make, at some point between now and Tuesday," Thune told reporters.

Asked if the substitute amendment would be the repeal only plan, Thune said, "It could be that, or the other," referring to the repeal and replace plan.

"Who knows?" he shrugged as the doors of his elevator closed.

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Thursday that 50 people are ultimately going to decide whether there's an "outcome" in the end.

"Any three people can kill the bill at the end if they're not satisfied," he said.

But when asked if senators would want to know the plan beforehand, Cornyn said, "Yeah, but it's a luxury we don't have."

Knowing what they're voting on isn't a luxury in any normal democratic process. It is not unusual that federal legislators don't have time to read bills in their entirety (which is bad enough), but it's unheard of that they wouldn't even know the basic details — and most bills aren't as significant as a "healthcare" reform that will affect 1/6th of the United States economy.

Republicans just refuse to slow down the process to give senators the "luxury" of knowing what's in the bill before the vote, because they know their proposal will be such garbage that even some Republicans won't reflexively vote for it.

And instead of making the bill better, they are just making the process of passing it worse, because the objective is to get a win as fast as possible.

A win for them, that is. A loss for all the rest of us.