larry somers at the top of his game. yes, growth is the answer. the question is will washington listen, particularly president obama. here now is tomorrower obama campaign aide mark hannah and cnbc contributor jim beth akuka. social and economic mobility hasn't changed in 50 years. you call that the gatsby curve running up against the laffer curve which is about growth. expand on that for us. >> the president has been saying not only has income and equality at the high end, the 1% versus the 99%. not only has that gotten worse, we should care because it's hurting social mobility. there is a linkage between the two. we saw there is no linkage between the two. not only has economic mobility not gotten worse as the 1% got richer but there is no link between the two. there is a link apparently with family family structure and the quality of the neighborhood. not progressive taxes. the core of the obama economic message just collapsed. >> let me come back to this. if the mayor bill de blasio and senator elizabeth warren believe people getting wealthy h

he, larry somers, tim quiet ner. banks doing well, how are home owners doing. still catching hell. how are workers doing. poor people rendered invisible. poor children and inner cities rendered invisible. can't wait to go in. >> i hear what you say about inequality. is there anything positive you can say about president obama. >> he gave some wonderful speeches. >> that's it. >> he gives wonderful speeches. health care we were holding out on the the pharmaceutical insurance companies are in the driver's seat. it's a bonanza for them and leaves out 19 million citizens. he said he'd fight for the public option, he didn't do it. thank god he has the magnificent children and wife. >> you have a magnificent reputation, you are known and respected around the world. some african opinion leaders say you are damaging your own legacy by being scathing in your criticism of president obama. what did you gain? >> i'm not worried about my legacy. if i can bear witness to the best of my ability, if i could be true with martin luther king, fredrik douglas, iota b wells, fanny lieu haimer, that's w

former obama economic adviser larry somers speaks the truth about income and equality from davos today study shows social mobility hasn't changed in 50 years in this country. so is this going to wreck president obama and the economic message in the state of the union? don't believe it. i believe they will stay with a redistribution message. also