Clout Has Plunged for Automakers and Union

When the leaders of the three Detroit auto companies and the United Automobile Workers union travel to Washington to make their case for a U.S. government bailout, they will be flying into stiff headwinds of public opinion.

Thus far, much of the commentary in Washington, in the pages of major newspapers and on the Web, has been against providing financial support for the companies, which they will say they desperately need in hearings beginning on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, foreign auto companies have built plants across the South, picking up lawmakers like Senator Richard Shelby, Republican of Alabama, who now are more allied with the foreign car companies.

So far this year, GM has spent $10 million on lobbying, out of $95 million in the past 10 years, placing it at No. 16 on the site's "top spenders" list. Ford, which ranks No. 19 on the list, has spent $5.7 million this year, out of $80.6 million the last decade.