Their patronage power and organizational muscle helped earn them an estimated 17 percent of the ballots, according to projections.

But a little bit of organizational muscle would surely help, and Mr. Rockefeller's obstacles were much in evidence.

The Baptists also appointed a missionary to take charge of the conversion operations, thus supplementing rhetoric with organizational muscle.

The appeal to self-interest, spiced by a dash of chauvinism, was a hit with farmers and auto workers who served as Mr. Gephardt's organizational muscle.

One of the most powerful institutions behind the wave of public protests has been the Roman Catholic Church, lending organizational muscle to a spreading network of grass-roots coalitions.

And he has courted state and local officials who could give his campaign added credibility and organizational muscle.

Their stark differences and organizational muscle on display, the two sides embarked on what is shaping up to be an unusually fierce non-election year debate.

The volunteer effort mirrors Mr. Bush's campaign, which set out to build a huge network of supporters to counter the Democrats' traditional organizational muscle in getting voters to the polls.

And it was unlike ordinary political coalitions because it didn't have the organizational muscle of voting blocs.

Disaster relief efforts have also given Asian groups on the Island a chance to flex the organizational muscles of a demographic group that has nearly doubled in size over the past 15 years.