I don’t think any politician is going to risk signing off on something that implies a reduction in safety.

Especially considering this “1500 hour” rule was created so recently. It would be different if the rule was 50+ years old and they could argue advances in training/equipment/procedures make it obsolete.

Not the case. Additionally, all of the families from the Colgan crash are still around to show up to the court hearing if this rule was to be challenged (yes, I realize that both of those pilots had 1500+ hours, but that crash still seems to be the poster child for inexperienced pilots getting in over their heads.)