One thing I love about Assemblyman Chuck DeVore is his sense of humor.

I knew the moment I saw a picture of him with MC Hammer at the inaugural Shorty Awards in New York, where Chuck picked up the top prize in the politics division, that I had to post it on my blog. That’s just too funny — very conservative Chuck DeVore with Mr. Hammerpants himself (Remember the “Hammerman” cartoon?). But make no mistake, DeVore’s well aware of the irony. He’s also sharp enough to know when to loosen his tie and show he’s human. All good politicians know that.

“It was pretty obvious who it was in a crowd of people of more or less über geeks,” DeVore said, recalling how he spotted Hammer backstage. “He was delightful. Very gracious, very friendly. He didn’t have any attitude, which I would have understood.”

Well, I’m not sure I would have, but DeVore’s the one who is being gracious here. That’s no knock on MC Hammer — just a recognition that his star power faded long ago. His story is a remarkable one of shooting to fame and incredible wealth and then blowing it all in a matter of a few years. But he never really stopped making music or staying involved. One of his passions these days is his blog and Twitter, which explains why he’s posing for pictures with a web-savvy staunch conservative state lawmaker from southern California! DeVore, meanwhile, is running for statewide office for the first time and needs to appeal to more than just the loyal Republicans who have sent him back to Sacramento to represent them. So, when you consider that, it makes sense to see these two smiling, chatting each other up and posing for a camera-phone picture.

DeVore understands how a quirky moment like this can get him some free earned media — I’m proving the point as I type this.

“As a politician you have to understand that culture is far more powerful than politics in the long haul,” DeVore said.

OK, think about that for a moment. That’s pretty profound. And very true, in my opinion. As an expert political handicapper I don’t mind telling you that there were two moments in the summer of 2007 when I felt President Obama’s campaign had risen to the level of legitimacy: when he refused to back down from his assertion that he would meet with rogue world leaders without pre-conditions (which showed rare political courage) and when barelypolitical.com showed its first Obama Girl video. I know that sounds silly, but when a politician becomes a pop culture figure you can forget about it. They’re almost invincible. Think President Reagan in those cowboy hats as The Gipper or President Clinton playing sax on Arsenio. I know it’s superficial and stupid and shouldn’t matter, but it’s potent because it shows our leaders as simultaneously special and human. We admire them and at the same time idolize them.

“At the end of the day Hollywood is more powerful than Congress,” DeVore said.

And when you get that rare combination of both — watch out.

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