Reich urges Reid to push robust public option

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich takes to his blog to write a letter to Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., urging Reid to deliver a health reform bill with a public option that is more robust than the version approved by the House of Representatives. Reich says making a government-run plan available to more people will bring down costs for everyone. He also says Reid should do whatever it takes to force a vote on such a bill and punish harshly Democrats who vote against it.

Here's a snippet from the letter: "Nobody promised you this would be easy, Harry. But, hell, why are you there, anyway? Your responsibility isn't just to pass whatever will muster 60 votes and that the President and Dems can later call 'health care reform.' It's to do the right thing by the American people and bring down future health-care costs."