At the "Fast Food Forward" protest on Thursday, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) demanded that Pres. Obama sign an executive order bypassing Congress and unilaterally raising the federal minimum wage.

Rep. Ellison told the crowd that they should join him in demanding that Pres. Obama skip seeking Congressional approval and raise the minimum wage on his own - and that he sent the president a letter on Wednesday presenting his demand:

"We in Congress will try to raise the minimum wage. We got opponents on the other side of the aisle who say that there shouldn't be no minimum wage. So, we are in difficulty fighting these guys.

"But, we know, at the executive level, an executive order can change the situation. We demand it, right now. Mr. President, sign the executive order. We demand this federal worker work reform, federal contractors. Give the pay raise, the livable, fair wage. Let's do it now. I gave him a letter to this effect, yesterday."

As Ellison walked off stage, the crowd chanted: "Sign the executive order!"