At the time, it was widely recognized that the play was written as a deliberate parallel of the upcoming 1960 Democratic Convention, and a scathing attack on the Kennedys whom Vidal detested, and also something of a tribute to Adlai Stevenson who Vidal admired and supported.
At the time, it was widely recognized that the play was written as a deliberate parallel of the upcoming 1960 Democratic Convention, and a scathing attack on the Kennedys whom Vidal detested Vidal's biographer, Fred Kaplan, contests this interpretation, however. See Kaplan (1993), p.494 e.g. and also something of a tribute to Adlai Stevenson who Vidal admired and supported.