The Daily Herald’s bloggy type thing Animal Farm takes a look at two new ads in the 6th Congressional District. The first ad is a Peter Roskam spot that also features his wife, Elizabeth.

With upbeat music playing, Roskam starts off by saying the charges in the race have gotten “pretty wild,” with ads saying he’s against stem cell research and hates Social Security. “The only thing we banned at home? Speedos,” chimes in his wife.

Roskam then gets negative in the ad and claims Duckworth wants to raise taxes and cut Social Security benefits.

Roskam does oppose embryonic stem cell research. He has given different responses to different groups on privatizing Social Security, but when pressed, ultimately supports a half-measure to move money into private accounts that couldn’t be invested in the risky stock market. Duckworth supports most of the Bush tax cuts, but only half of the capital gains and dividends tax cuts and only up to $2 million exempted for the inheritance tax.

Here’s the ad:

The second spot is being run by the DCCC. It slams Roskam for siding with the NRA.

It attacks Roskam for voting “present” on a 1993 measure that would have allowed school principals to ban students who brought a gun to school for up to one year without the school board’s permission.

And then the analysis.

Roskam did, in fact, vote present on House Bill 2073, on 4/23/1993. The bill passed the House 73-27, with Roskam among the 16 present votes. But the measure never saw the light of day in the Illinois Senate. The voting pattern in the House was an odd combination. Moderate Rep. Tom Cross, now the House GOP leader, voted present. Conservative Reps. Tom Johnson of West Chicago and Vince Persico of Glen Ellyn voted present, as did moderate Rep. Andrea Moore of Libertyville. But liberal Chicago Democrats Reps. Lou and Shirley Jones also voted present. Rep. Judy Biggert, now a Hinsdale congresswoman, voted no. But conservative Rep. Al Salvi of Wauconda voted yes. Seems like the Chicago Democrats would have had concerns about punishing too harshly a 7-year-old kid who brought Dad’s gun to school. Republicans who voted present might have had the same thought.

Here’s the ad. It’s not a good copy. Sorry.

*** UPDATE *** Raw video from Peter Roskam’s press conference this week. Speaking is David Beamer, whose son was killed on United Flight 93. Beamer was supposed to talk just about national security and Iraq as a 9/11 victime, but he drifted at least briefly into economics.