I'm late to this party, but:

I have to confess to not knowing jack about Gravel's politics (my laziness/attention conservation rules didn't allow me to get past his .0something% primary tallies), but he comes off as thoroughly likable in that clip. That video is completely goofy and larky and not worth thinking too much about, but for me the clip depicts not just a full human being (instead of a politics bot) but also someone who can put his ego aside in the interest of making a connection. There is a high level of gameness on view throughout, and it not only means he doesn't mock or condescend to the "alien" cultural context (and therefore to the audience), it also means that he doesn't mock or condescend to himself. There is no butt of the joke here; how could there be with old dude trying so hard?

Compare Gravel above to the smug self-satisfaction and barely contained meanness on display here, or in these clips:

Gravel, obviously, can't sing dance or rap. But the ultimate point of his entrance into those frames ends up not being his lack but his desire. In Bulworth, or in the more recent GOP clips, there is never a moment when you get a whiff of any real desire to perform or connect, whereas Gravel, likely due to some or another long submerged hammy streak, seems invested in hitting that Superman step right on time.

Instead of walking away laughing at an old white man, I walked away with a newfound and specifically identity related respect for him. It's not Jimmy Connors beating a 24 year old at 39 at the US Open (age is more the operand here than race, I think), or the even more impressive feat of a black man winning a major party presidential nomination. But I have to confess to being slightly heart-warmed at the spectacle of this minor politician with no real distinguishing characteristics and with no chance whatsoever of winning anything finding an improbable way to leave/make a mark.