Yes, I had not thought of it that way even though it has been obvious since school days. The pertinent quote is worth remembering because it covered all the bases and was so well explained:

"One of the best tools an activist can use is humor. If you can get folks laughing at your target’s expense, you diminish his power. I wanted the country to have a good laugh at Helms’ expense. I wanted his fellow senators to have a little chuckle behind his back. And I wanted Senator Helms to realize that his free ride was up - if he hit us again, we’d hit back."

The article was written after the event, I wonder how well thought out some of the nuances were before the event, e.g. the fellow senators having a chuckle behind his back or that power is diminished.