Several New Jersey papers weigh in on yesterday's comments by Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts that the Clean Elections pilot program in the state will be suspended for 2009. The overarching theme seems to be that while a few legitimate fixes to the program would be welcome, abandoning it entirely because of one court case in Arizona is wrong-headed and ultimately harmful to the voters of New Jersey.

The Asbury Park Press claims the prematures move to suspend the Clean Elections program just shows that some legislators are eager to get rid of the system and will use any excuse. Maybe -- either way to pull the plug on 2009's Clean Election cycle before the ink on the Arizona court case is even dry short-changes the voters in New Jersey. Now is the time to take a decisive stand against the expanding role of money in politics, not to fold in the face of a challenge.