Hi, Anon - From what I've heard, Ellison believes the party can cobble together a coalition of the disgruntled, along with the standard Democratic base, and appeal to many of the people Trump did this year.
I think Trump is one of those charismatic figures whose appeal defies analysis, and anyone else would have failed using the same tactics.  In my opinion, so was Obama (from a different perspective), whose credentials should not have allowed him to beat Hillary in 2008. It was her misfortune to run up against two charismatic personalities whose shortcomings people were willing to overlook in order to get what they wanted, or thought they wanted.
I have been wondering if  Antonio Villaraigosa would pop up on the national scene soon....