RECIPE FOR SUCCESS:

Sometimes you read an article about something so inane you say to yourself, “What were they thinking?”

That’s what popped into my mind when I kept reading multiple news reports about Orange County Republican lawyer Mike Schroeder’s lawsuits regarding Huntington Beach Mayor Debbie Cook. He filed on behalf of Keith Carlson, treasurer of the Orange County Republican Party.

These guys seem hell bent for leather to stop this gal from using her title as mayor on the upcoming ballot, and with little success. Apparently their argument is that her title is ceremonial and not elected by voters’ only council people.

So what? Am I missing something? Don’t the folks in Huntington Beach call her mayor? Isn’t that her title? Huntington Beach residents don’t seem concerned that the council votes on its mayor just as we do in Costa Mesa and Newport. From written reports, apparently several Republican candidates in her same position used the title.

These guys are giving new meaning to the word “petty.” Funny thing is that I’d never heard of Debbie Cook until these two decided to sue. At first I thought this was so ridiculous that it had to be a covert PR move by Cook’s people to get free publicity. I guess Schroeder and Carlson are just doing Cook the favor for free.

Politics is all about perceived perception, so what can the public perceive from this situation? One perception is that the Republican Party is afraid of Debbie Cook. Another perception is that they’ll pursue her no matter how heavy handed it makes them look.

And finally, they’re hypocritical when it comes to the subject of frivolous lawsuits. I’m sure there are Republican supporters who’ll think twice about sending money to the local party if this is what they do with their funding.

Here’s where the story gets even odder. A Google search of Mike Schroeder reveals that he is a former chairman of the Republican Party in California, considered by some to be the second most powerful non-elected person in the county, with Don Bren being No. 1.

He’s been linked as a political strategist to the likes of District Atty. Tony Rackauckas, former Sheriff Mike Carona and Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, just to name a few. The guy’s no slouch. So why would a man of this caliber of experience and prestige take on a lawsuit that’s an obvious PR nightmare and not a recipe for success for anyone?

Apparently, that’s what many behind the scenes are asking.

When does too much power cloud someone’s better judgment?

We’ve seen this scenario time and time again when powerful men and women make bad moves just because they can — without considering the consequences. Those closest to them, even those who helped create them, now can’t control them. They leave wreckage in their wake and until they self destruct; you pretty much duck and take cover.

So how does the Republican Party get past the fact they’re looking like bullies, fearful, supporters of frivolous lawsuits and woman haters?

My guess is that they need a PR intervention and reinvention to shake things up from the top management on down. Where are the folks from TV’s Extreme Makeover and Queer Eye when you need them?

BARBARA VENEZIA is the chairman of the Santa Ana Hts. Redevelopment Project Advisor Committee and was the co-creator of the cooking show “At Home on the Range” with John Crean.