Very true. Also, some of the combinations of Catholicism and Paganism stem from Catholicism spreading onto countries with a very rich Pagan tradition. And indeed, South America, where I lived for many years, is very much like what you describe, and the clergy is more flexible.

Another thing, I believe, that makes Catholicism more susceptible to a mixture with Paganism is the fact that it's a much more festive and ritualistic relgion than Protestant traditions.

I strongly recommend the fabulous film "El Crimen del Padre Amaro" to anyone curious about the Church in Latin America. Granted, things everywhere are not as grim as they are in the film, but nevertheless it opens a window to these dilemmas and issues, and particularly to the life of Catholic clergy:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0313196/

That is the 64,000 dollar question! Oh-so-many people have been trying to figure this out and put it in context; after all, there had been evangelical Christianity, albeit less of a "born-again" movement, before the previous few rounds of election. This version of the new right provides a platform of opinions about family structure and sexuality, economy, foreign policy, welfare and crime control. As to the latter, I can supply a partial answer; the movement toward severity in crime and the broad support of the death penalty by the New Right here feels sometimes like the swing of a pendulum, a reactionary move to the rehabilitative efforts of the 1960s and 1970s. But of course there is more than just that.