People occasionally tell me that I “like” a political figure I’ve praised, or “don’t like” one I’ve criticized. It’s a way of consigning my views to little boxes of emotion. It’s not about policy or character, it’s about “liking.” Or not. I find it subtly demeaning.

Former gubernatorial candidate Brenda Siegel is one of those I supposedly “like,” and Gov. Phil Scott is on my perceived “don’t like” list. Neither is true, really. With Siegel, it’s not about liking or not liking, it’s about respect. She acts on her principles. She’s the only political figure who’s put herself on the line for our most vulnerable. The much more “likable” Phil Scott has not, not at all, not ever.

He did help out a neighbor with his backhoe, an action posted on Twitter by a former member of his cabinet. The tweet triggered a widespread fluttering of hearts in #vtpoli circles. What a great guy! What an authentic Vermonter, helping out a neighbor in time of need!

Yes, well, I’ve always thought Phil Scott would make a fine neighbor. I’m sure he’s always ready to help out, especially if it gives him a reason to haul out one of his big-boy toys. But there are no circumstances that would find him slogging through floodwaters, rescuing unhoused Vermonters from a riverside encampment as Siegel has done.

It’s also hard to square that “neighbor helping neighbor” guy with the governor whose policies have caused so much misery. He insisted that Vermont end its motel voucher program even though his administration had failed to plan a transition. The floods have added significantly to the ranks of the unhoused, and he seems to have little or nothing to offer them. His team can’t even be bothered to try to keep track of the unhoused and make an effort to help and protect them. They’ve been left to their own devices. Many have lost their tents and camping gear — and seen their remaining possessions ruined — more than once since the rains came on July 10.

Siegel has spent the past several months advocating for the unhoused and engaging in direct assistance. She has basically grabbed the Vermont power structure by the scruff of the neck and forced it to do something, even if it was far less than what was needed. She’s raised money to help people. She’s driven all over Vermont, doing more than the entire state government to connect with unhoused folk and connect them with resources.

It is, in a word, heroic. I’m sure she’s running herself ragged. I can’t imagine doing anything like this myself, nor can I imagine any other figure in Vermont politics doing what she’s doing for even a single day.

Maybe that’s not what you want in a political leader. Maybe she makes you uncomfortable with her insistence on forcing us to witness the widespread human suffering our government has caused through deliberate policy choices.

Maybe you prefer the reassuring projection of Vermont exceptionalism that oozes effortlessly from the governor’s pores. He is the embodiment of how we like to view ourselves and our B.L.S. He is our John Wayne, our Ronald Reagan — a person skilled at reflecting our most cherished myths.

Me, I prefer someone who solves problems and helps people. Someone who might be harder to “like” but easy to respect.