I cry a bit when I think of all the CLAM stakes missed by those who have their CLAM in the Poloniex books

People get intrest, even higher then stake=P
They do, and that would presumably continue to be the case even if the staking reward increased. The lending market would have to adapt to keep up with the staking rate.
Coins that are backing an order on the book can't be lent out. So no, people providing liquidity to the market don't get paid interest, nor stake (as long as Poloniex rules remain unchanged).
Providing liquidity is, in general, an activity that generates return on investment and has to compete with other such activities. So if the staking rate goes up, all else being equal the rate of return on liquidity will go up as well (i.e. trading more expensive for takers).
EDIT: Typo can/can't