Fury over Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed budget cuts echoed outside the Statehouse today as record crowds flooded the capital to protest the rookie Republican — and warn Democrats against backing his agenda. The protesters — most from public worker unions and progressive groups — numbered 30,000 to 35,000, according to the State Police. They clutched signs labeling Christie a “loser” and calling for his ouster. They started chants: “They say cut back, we say fight back!” and “We are not the problem!” They even mocked the governor’s affection for working-class hero Bruce Springsteen.

“I don’t know how you can save New Jersey by shutting down our firefighters, police and teachers,” said Zein Maya, a West Orange resident and Newark firefighter.

“He’s just picked us as a scapegoat. We just feel so targeted,” said Lauren Sheldon, an English teacher at North Hunterdon High School who lives in Pennsylvania. 

Though the rally was the culmination of months of animosity between Christie and unions over cuts to pay and benefits, speakers cast the fight in broader terms, linking it to historical causes from women’s suffrage to civil rights.

“It is the beginning of a new political movement in this state, one that stands in opposition to the kinds of cruel and unnecessary cuts that are devastating New Jersey,” said Chris Shelton, a vice president with the Communications Workers of America. “One that says to all elected officials — if you want our support, you have to earn it.”

But few politicians of either party were on hand to hear the message. The governor was signing a bill at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, where he recived a mix of cheers and boos and dismissed a question about the protest. And despite legislative Democrats’ showdown with Christie over his refusal to raise taxes on millionaires, just U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.) and a few Democratic legislators were visible near the stage.

“If our legislators remain silent, they are his accomplices,” New Jersey Education Association president Barbara Keshishian said. “They will share the blame.”

Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex), who was not at the rally, said today that Democrats are standing up to Christie — even if they didn’t stand with the protesters.

“There are vast differences between what we believe and what the governor believes,” Oliver said.

But Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), who also did not attend, said the rally was “counterproductive” and a distraction from those contrasts.

“It’s harmed Democrats as we’re trying to put a spotlight on how bad the budget is,” Sweeney said. “The union leadership makes it so easy for him to make a target of them.”

The governor’s spokesman, Michael Drewniak, said the protesters are “blinded by their own rhetoric and are on the wrong side of history.”

Christie and the Legislature must agree on a balanced budget by June 30. The governor’s $29.3 billion proposal refuses broad-based tax increases in favor of sweeping cuts, including those that sparked the most anger today: funding for school districts and meal programs, libraries and welfare.

Joe Ulicki, a shift supervisor at St. Lucy’s Shelter in Jersey City, was there with 31 shelter residents to protest the elimination of monthly $140 checks in general assistance to childless adults who are considered employable. Ulicki said he met Christie when the then-governor elect came to St. Lucy’s just before Thanksgiving to help prepare dinners for the needy.

“He said he would never hurt the poorest of the poor,” said Ulicki. “That’s a slap in the face.”

Along with the budget, protesters raged against Christie’s proposed property tax reforms, which include changes to collective bargaining and civil service rules governing public employees. The governor says labor costs must shrink to limit annual property tax increases to 2.5 percent.

The crowds flocked from all corners of the state, traveling by bus, car and train. They noshed on carnival fare — gyros, Italian sausages, funnel cakes — and packed several blocks.

While the throng was diverse, from sympathetic private sector employees to state workers of all stripes, teachers were the dominant force. Christie’s blistering rhetoric against the NJEA — calling union leaders “bullies” and accusing teachers of using students like “drug mules” — was returned by some, who carried signs targeting the governor’s weight or criticized his choice to send his own children to private school. Others said they feared for their schools or the teaching profession.

Isabel Nieto, 25, from North Bergen, graduates from Hudson County Community College in two weeks with an associate’s degree in education. But she said she no longer wants to be a teacher “with all the attacks that are going on, all the cuts.”

Lynn Fedele, a Montclair resident who teaches in Jersey City, doubted the show of force would sway Christie but hoped the Legislature would listen.

“The Democrats need to realize they need to back us up,” she said.

Even a dog joined the cause. Toby, a collie, wore a placard that said “Dogs for teachers” and “I didn’t eat the budget!” Star Ledger