John Rauh, founder of Americans for Campaign Reform, today issued the following statement after Senate passage of lobbying reform legislation:

"The lobbying reform bill that cleared the Senate yesterday won't affect behavior by lobbyists and politicians – and it simply won’t convince Americans that the Congress is serious about reform.

"There isn't a single water cooler or coffee shop in America today where people are saying 'wow, it sure looks like they finally got serious this time.'

"If the Senate had hoped to change public attitudes and suspicions about the way the world within the Beltway works, they have fallen far, far short.

"Everyone who cares about our democracy sees the consequences of financing federal elections with private money. It has led to apathy and alienation, if not fraud and corruption. Future reforms must empower average Americans and fix the most fundamental flaws in the way the United States selects its leaders."

Americans for Campaign Reform is building a nonpartisan grassroots movement of citizens who support voluntary public funding of federal elections for the Senate, House and White House. Under its proposal, Congress would have to spend Just $6 per citizen to publicly fund each and every election for federal office.

Americans for Campaign Reform has three Honorary Chairs: Former Sen. Bill Bradley (D-New Jersey), former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Nebraska) and former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyoming).