Paulsen expected to be chosen as speaker of Iowa House

It's probably not the pep talk the 22 new members of the Iowa House Republican caucus were expecting this morning.

Still, Kraig Paulsen, the man expected to be the next speaker of the House,will tell them that most of what they do in their new jobs will amount to nothing.

“Somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 percent of the work you do as a legislator is a complete and total waste of time,” said Paulsen, House Republican leader. “The problem is you don't know which is the 20 percent and which is the 80 percent until it's all over. So you've got to do it all.”

That's the approach he's taken in his four terms representing northern and western Linn County, Paulsen said Friday after a hectic week of shuttling back and forth between his home in Hiawatha, his job as an attorney for CRST International Inc. in Cedar Rapids and the State Capitol.

While on the road, Paulsen has been on the phone with well-wishers, reporters and many of those new House Republicans who helped put the GOP back in the majority.

“I've found I need to charge my (cell) phone a lot more,” he said.

Republicans erased the Democrats' 56-44 advantage in the Nov. 2 election and now hold a 60-40 majority. He rejects the notion Republicans will use that majority to railroad their agenda through the Legislature.

“There are things that we as Republicans believe and things we as Republicans are going to do,” he said, “but Republicans don't have a monopoly on good ideas. We need (Democrats) involved in the process.”

That's his style, say those who have worked with him. His quiet leadership, work ethic and humility will serve him and the caucus well, they predict.

Kim Reem admits that her first impression of Paulsen wasn't that she was talking to a future speaker of the House. However, the GOP activist is not surprised he'll be speaker when the Legislature convenes Jan. 10.

She remembers Paulsen sitting across from her at her kitchen table, “humbly asking if I would help him run for office.”

“I was struck by that,” she said. “I really liked what I saw. He was genuine.”

Paulsen wasn't the first candidate Reem has helped, but none followed her advice so completely.

“I remember thinking, ‘If he loses, it's 100 percent my fault,'” Reem said. “He did everything I asked him to do.”

Her advice worked. Paulsen won 64 percent of the votes in the GOP primary and 53 percent in the general election.

Rep. Linda Upmeyer, R-Garner, said she and Paulsen have been on parallel courses since coming into the House in 2003. Both were chairing committees in their second terms, and both have moved up the leadership ladder in their caucus. She'll be Paulsen's top lieutenant as House majority leader.

Like Reem, she didn't immediately see Paulsen as the leader he has become. What others might see as shyness or a lack of self-assurance disguises Paulsen's self-confidence, Upmeyer said.

“It's not so much shyness as that the wheels are always turning,” added Reem. “He's good at getting input from others.”

Paulsen, who served 10 years in the Air Force before returning to Cedar Rapids, believes listening is key to representing his district and leading his caucus.

“Your influence comes from the consent of those who elect you, and unless you listen adequately, you can't represent them,” he said, referring to the voters in House 35 and the caucus members. “The title ‘state representative' has to mean something, and you can only represent people if you listen to them.”

Paulsen admits there's nothing flashy about him. Outside of work, he spends time with his wife, the former Cathy Hembera, who he met when they played drums in the Kennedy High School band, and their four children: Kassandra, 21, a nurse; Kylere, 18, a student at Kennedy and Kirkwood Community College; and 16-year-old twins Kale and Keith, who attend Kennedy and home-school.

During his first term, Paulsen moved his family to Des Moines for the legislative session, so they could be together and he could be a part of home schooling his children.

He enjoys woodworking and took up golf this year when Keith started playing. He'd never watched a complete baseball game until Kylere played at Kennedy.

He's known as a man of few words, and as minority leader often let other Republicans speak to various issues rather than be the voice of the caucus.

Reporters sometimes complain that Paulsen makes the same points over and over, week after week, at his news conferences. That's by design, Upmeyer said.

“When you talk about your principles and your priorities every time you have a news conference, every time you talk to the caucus or every time you go out to speak to groups, that's how you get your message out,” she said.

There is another side to Paulsen, though. He's friendly and personable, “and when we have Kraig and Cathy over for dinner, it's very different than when we're talking politics and campaigns.”

Then there's Paulsen's music.

He likes to listen to music in his car. He likes it loud.

“I spend a fair amount of time in my car,” he said. When he bought a used car, Paulsen needed to replace the sound system. “I decided to get speakers so I could hear the music no matter how hard the wind was blowing.”

Upmeyer recalls trying to have a conversation with Paulsen one morning, but he seemed preoccupied with something else.

“He finally unloaded that his speakers were not working correctly, and he needed to get them fixed,” she said.

“So, yes, I've experienced the speakers - in the car,” she said, “and it's not easy-listening music. We're headbanging.”

His iPod holds everything from AC/DC to Vivaldi, Paulsen said in his own defense.

“And yes, I enjoy it louder than the average person,” he said.