You keep missing the point.  McConnel controls who gets to participate.  The Ds could certainly try, but unless McConnell allows it, they are out in the cold.  He controls the whole show.  If you can't see that, you haven't been paying attention.  13 Republican Senators worked on the repeal/replace plan, not 1D in the lot, not because they didn't want to be included but because they were shut out of the whole process.  I can't believe you truly can't see how this has gone down.  He shut out members of his own party, remember the who Rand Paul hunt for the replacement bill?