EBay pulls Crist portrait sale, then it resumes

Trying to unload an oil painting of Gov. Charlie Crist seems to have gotten mired in, well, politics.

On Wednesday, the online auction site eBay yanked the Republican Party of Florida's auction of an oil painting of Crist, apparently reacting to political content attacking Crist in the party's auction ad.

The ad was reposted with the language removed, party spokeswoman Katie Gordon Betta said, but the party lost nearly 100 bids on the painting, one of them for $6,200. By late Wednesday, bidding was back to only $1,125.

The original listing for the portrait bashed Crist, saying his political positions were false like the gilt-painted wood of the frame and subject to fluctuations - "Canvas is naturally sensitive to changes of temperature and humidity, just as the Charlie Crist's political convictions are subject to fluctuations in poll numbers."

Betta hinted at some darker motive on eBay's part. "I find it strange that they suddenly found a problem with the listing two complete days after they published the listing to begin with, and after it's been discussed in every paper in the state, on Fox News, MSNBC and CNN, The Washington Times, The New York Times, and numerous local radio and television stations," Betta said.

Other spokespeople did not immediately respond to inquiries late Wednesday.

The party bought paintings of the governor and then-Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer for $7,500 last year from artist D. Arthur McBride of the Tallahassee area.

Since Crist announced he is running as a no-party candidate for the U.S. Senate rather than a Republican, he has become anathema to the party. Party officials now call the paintings examples of money wasted under the tenure of Greer, chosen for the job by Crist. "If we can recuperate some of that money, it would be great," Betta said.

Greer resigned as party chairman earlier this year as pressure mounted, and an investigation on inappropriate spending was started later. Greer, who was handpicked by Crist to be party chief in 2007, was given his painting and kept it at his home.

The Crist painting adorned the party's Tallahassee headquarters until last week, after the governor made his no-party announcement.

The eBay auction for Crist's portrait was to end Monday morning.

One local Republican political consultant predicted Tuesday that the party might get close to $7,500 or more.

"Whether you love him or hate him, it would be a unique piece of art work to have - the historical nature of it," said Mark Proctor of Tampa.

"If you like Charlie Crist, you can hang it in your den and have a great conversation piece," Proctor said. "If you don't, you can ... use it as a dart board."