Scott Adams died this week. During the 1990s and 2000s, Adams was one of the best cartoonists in America, as his Dilbert comic strip captured the amusement and frustration of workplaces throughout the country. There were few offices that didn’t have Dilbert strips pinned to cubicle walls.
One of Adams’ brilliant ideas was to put his email address on the comic strip, inviting readers to submit their workplace anecdotes, keeping the strip relevant despite Adams himself leaving the corporate world long ago.
Perhaps Scott Adams’ best contributions to society was popularizing the concept of framing. He was one of the first to predict that Donald Trump would win the 2016 election because he saw him through a frame of persuasion, rather than regular politics. His support of Trump cost him friends and influence in the world of media, and when he made statements in 2023 that were deemed racist, newspapers dropped the strip. Yet Adams soldiered on, inviting readers to join him for a “simultaneous sip” of coffee, tea, or other morning beverage.
Just prior to the 2016 election, Adams published How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, a book which had significant impact on the trajectory of my life. Adams explained how trying and failing was beneficial in that it added to your “talent stack” which you could then apply to future endeavors. For him, a failed career in business set the stage for a successful career as a cartoonist.
Adams also promoted the idea of systems instead of goals. For example, rather than setting a goal to lose weight, he suggested having a system in which you go to the gym every day after work. Such a system will eventually bring about the goal you want, without the guilt and disappointment that come from inevitable failure.
Adams was a lifelong atheist, or at least agnostic. He talked about Simulation Theory, the idea that we exist within a computer program. Yet he seemed open to the idea of Christianity as well. He made a statement from his deathbed announcing his conversion in a Pascal’s Wager sort of way. It’s not for me to decide how genuine such a thing is—remember that “man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
Rest in glory.
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The past week at the Chronicle…
On Monday, I reported on the opening day of the 2026 legislative session.
On Tuesday, I published the first of what will be a regular column by Tim Oren, about using statistics to map legislative factions as the session progresses.
Later that day, I took a look at the nascent budget battle growing between. Gov. Brad Little and JFAC co-chair Rep. Josh Tanner.
On Wednesday, I explained how to install the Gem State Chronicle on your smartphone as a web app. Try it today!
On Thursday, I explained how JFAC prepares budget bills for the Legislature, and summarized its work in the first week.
Finally, on Friday I showed how allowing politics to become personal can prevent you from achieving your policy goals.
I published several op-eds and newsletters this week, including two from Sen. Jim Risch here and here. Also check out posts from Idaho GOP chairwoman Dorothy Moon, Attorney General Raúl Labrador, Lt. Gov. Scott Bedke, Mountain States Policy Center president Chris Cargill, and Congressman Mike Simpson.
Whether we agree or disagree with our elected officials and influential political figures, I think it’s important to hear what they have to say. The Gem State Chronicle is a resource for as much information as possible to help you be more effective and engaged.
If you would like Gem State Chronicle to publish your work, please submit it to [email protected]. We are pleased to provide an outlet for a wide variety of figures in the world of Idaho politics to share their own messages.
In other news…
Just before the session started I sat down for an in-depth conversation with Caleb Cook of the Gem State Brief. Check it out, and check out their work as well:
I am once again proud to be a contributing editor to Idaho Signal, a production of Citizen’s Alliance of Idaho. Catch the show live weekdays at 11:30am MT. Here was Wednesday’s show, featuring me, IFF’s Fred Birnbaum, and IFPC’s Blaine Conzatti:
Logan Finney of broke down the week that was and spoke with newly-elected caucus leaders Reps. Douglas Pickett and Monica Church on Idaho Reports:
Finney also spoke with Sen. Ben Adams about his ideas for protecting Idaho’s public lands:
Russ Greene joined Nick Solheim of American Moment to discuss what might be a taboo subject: how our current system of taxes and subsidies takes money from the young to support the old.
In another life, Scott Bessent helped make George Soros rich. Now he’s President Trump’s Treasury Secretary. What can we make of that? Rufo and Lomez break it down:
Finally, the one and only Razorfist paid tribute to the late Scott Adams:
Upcoming events…
It’s Lincoln Day season. I’m putting together a page with all the Idaho GOP Lincoln Day luncheons and dinners, so check it out to find one near you. Last I heard there were only a couple dozen tickets left for the Gem County Lincoln Day Dinner on February 7, featuring none other than Alex Adams. I bought mine!
The Syringa Speaker Series is hosting Liz Wheeler, Chloe Cole, and Joe Concha on Saturday, February 28 for its 2026 gala. Check it out here. I’m working with Syringa to promote this event so do me a favor and buy a ticket or ten.
Thank you all for your support as I continue to bring you news and analysis that empowers you to make positive change in Idaho. Make sure to subscribe, follow me on Twitter, and follow the Chronicle on Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, YouTube, and Rumble. Have a great week!
Feature image by Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle, via Getty Images
About Brian Almon
Brian Almon is the Editor of the Gem State Chronicle. He also serves as Chairman of the District 14 Republican Party and is a trustee of the Eagle Public Library Board. He lives with his wife and five children in Eagle.
