The Lonely Realist is a bridge across the partisan gap, raising questions and making pointed observations about politics, economics, international relations and the markets. Its goal is to raise awareness and inspire thought on controversial issues that impact America and Americans, highlighting issues that should be, but rarely are, the focus of bipartisan discussion.


In seeking to promote dialogue, The Lonely Realist is not an advocate of conclusions or remedies. To the extent perceived biases leak into these pages, as they sometimes do, please ignore them. They are inadvertent missteps. 

  • “Defining Zionism.” – The Lonely Realist As Joe Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year and reiterated on Late Night with Seth Meyers in February: “I don’t believe you have to be a Jew to be a Zionist, and I am a Zionist.” He...

  • “There’s something happening here, what it is ain’t exactly clear.” – Buffalo Springfield Both gold and Bitcoin are at dizzying highs. Why? It’s easy to be seduced by the almost-universal levitation of everything – the Magnificent Seven, global stock indices, residential real estate, corporate bonds,...

  • “I am your warrior. I am your justice, and for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.” – Donald Trump, February 5, 2024 Retribution: deserved and severe punishment. Is Donald Trump’s February 5, 2024 rhetoric election year bombast? Or has the...

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The Roy Cohn Defense

“Donald Trump is a master of The Roy Cohn Defense. Will it continue to work for him?” – The Lonely Realist SPOILER ALERT: That would be a good bet. Roy Cohn was a famous New York lawyer who gained notoriety in the 1950s as lead

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TLR Updates, Part 1*

“Will Modern Monetary Theory Work” (April 14th TLR) and “They’re All Keynsians Now” (March 27th TLR) Republicans no longer are believers in balanced budgets. Democrats most often have favored deficit spending. Both are now in agreement that Congressional spend-and-debt orgies are fun! This week, the

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COVID Data

“COVID has trashed America’s Big Blue Cities. It soon will disrupt America’s Great Middle. Big Data tells the tale.” – The Lonely Realist Although there is disagreement over the appropriate method to use in calculating the number of Americans who have died from COVID-19, all

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William (Bill) Natbony is The Lonely Realist, its author and originator. The opinions expressed in TLR are solely Bill’s opinions, have not been edited or reviewed, and do not reflect the views or opinions or any other person.