'Romney face tattoo guy' claims Republicans paid him $15,000 to do it

If Republicans thought they were shocked when Mitt Romney lost to President Barack Obama last week, just imagine how this guy felt.

When Eric Hartsburg, of Michigan City, tried to auction off a part of his face on eBay for $15,000 last September, he probably wasn't expecting that someone would win with a bid of less than $800, then ask him to tattoo a penis on there for life.

But as he explained Tuesday night on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," that's exactly how his strange tale began.

Thinking a male member forever stamped on his face was probably not optimal, Hartsburg got creative. "I thought to myself, 'What would be the most pertinent thing in the news right now?' Then, the most important thing in the news -- the election! Let's take it to some Republicans, and I got a winning bidder."

"So, you said, 'I will do this if you pay me'?" Kimmel asked.

"Absolutely," Hartsburg replied.

"And they paid you $15,000 to do this?" Kimmel asked.

"They did," Hartsburg said. "It was two guys that I know, local Republicans, I've worked for the Republican Party. I've worked the election polls since I was about 22-years-old. I knew a guy and, hey, here we are now."

"Did you ever consider just putting a sign on your lawn like a normal person?" Kimmel wondered.

No!" he objected. "See, the Romney campaign didn't care enough about Indiana. They figured they already had that one. Why bother giving me a sign?"

Hartsburg added that he'll keep the tattoo "for the rest of my life," saying that "the forehead space is still available."

"Here's to Rubio and Ryan running with the double-R's in the next election," he concluded.

"Maybe Ronald Reagan will come back," Kimmel laughed. "Just say you did it for him."

This video is from "Jimmy Kimmel Live," broadcast Tuesday, November 13, 2012.