How to use the tweepy.api.API function in tweepy

#!/usr/bin/env python

import settings
import csv
import redis
import tempfile
import time

from tweepy.api import API
from tweepy.models import Status
from tweepy.utils import import_simplejson
from tweepy.utils import convert_to_utf8_str

api = API()
json = import_simplejson()

def bulk_load(listkey, tweets):
    with open('/home/marcua/data/tweets/%s' % (listkey), 'w') as tmpfile:
        print "file %s" % (tmpfile.name)
        for jsontweet in tweets:
            tweet = Status.parse(api, json.loads(jsontweet))
            tmpfile.write(convert_to_utf8_str(tweet.text) + "\n")

def poll_data(r):
    listkey = r.rpoplpush(settings.TO_INDEX, settings.CONSUMED_INDICES)
    if listkey != None:
        tweets = r.lrange(listkey, 0, -1)
        bulk_load(listkey, tweets)
        r.lrem(settings.CONSUMED_INDICES, listkey, 0)
        r.delete(listkey)

def __init__(self, api=None):
        self.api = api or API()

def get_username(self):
        if self.username is None:
            api = API(self)
            user = api.verify_credentials()
            if user:
                self.username = user.screen_name
            else:
                raise TweepError('Unable to get username,'
                                 ' invalid oauth token!')
        return self.username

def __init__(self, auth, listener, **options):
        self.auth = auth
        self.listener = listener
        self.running = False
        self.timeout = options.get("timeout", 300.0)
        self.retry_count = options.get("retry_count")
        self.retry_time = options.get("retry_time", 10.0)
        self.snooze_time = options.get("snooze_time",  5.0)
        self.buffer_size = options.get("buffer_size",  1500)
        if options.get("secure", True):
            self.scheme = "https"
        else:
            self.scheme = "http"

        self.api = API()
        self.headers = options.get("headers") or {}
        self.parameters = None
        self.body = None

Tweepy Twitter API library
"""
__version__ = '2.0'
__author__ = 'Joshua Roesslein'
__license__ = 'MIT'

from tweepy.models import Status, User, DirectMessage, Friendship, SavedSearch, SearchResults, ModelFactory, Category
from tweepy.error import TweepError
from tweepy.api import API
from tweepy.cache import Cache, MemoryCache, FileCache
from tweepy.auth import BasicAuthHandler, OAuthHandler
from tweepy.streaming import Stream, StreamListener
from tweepy.cursor import Cursor

# Global, unauthenticated instance of API
api = API()

def debug(enable=True, level=1):

    import httplib
    httplib.HTTPConnection.debuglevel = level

def __init__(self, username, password, listener, timeout=5.0, retry_count = None,
                    retry_time = 10.0, snooze_time = 5.0, buffer_size=1500):
        self.auth = BasicAuthHandler(username, password)
        self.running = False
        self.timeout = timeout
        self.retry_count = retry_count
        self.retry_time = retry_time
        self.snooze_time = snooze_time
        self.buffer_size = buffer_size
        self.listener = listener
        self.api = API()
        self.headers = {}
        self.body = None

def __init__(self, api=None):
        self.api = api or API()

Tweepy Twitter API library
"""
__version__ = '1.5'
__author__ = 'Joshua Roesslein'
__license__ = 'MIT'

from tweepy.models import Status, User, DirectMessage, Friendship, SavedSearch, SearchResult, ModelFactory
from tweepy.error import TweepError
from tweepy.api import API
from tweepy.cache import Cache, MemoryCache, FileCache
from tweepy.auth import BasicAuthHandler, OAuthHandler
from tweepy.streaming import Stream, StreamListener
from tweepy.cursor import Cursor

# Global, unauthenticated instance of API
api = API()

def debug(enable=True, level=1):

    import httplib
    httplib.HTTPConnection.debuglevel = level

def __init__(self, api=None):
        self.api = api or API()

mongo_config.update({'module': 'collecting-follow'},
                                {'$set': {'termsList': {'handle': user['handle'], 'id': user_id, 'collect': 0 }}})

                    # Loops thru current stored handles and adds list if both:
                    #   A) Value isn't set to None (not valid OR no longer in use)
                    all_stored_handles = [user['handle'] for user in stored_terms]
                    stored_handles = [user['handle'] for user in stored_terms if user['id'] and user['collect']]

                    print 'MAIN: %d user ids for collection found in Mongo!' % len(stored_handles)
                    """

                    # Loop thru & query (except handles that have been stored)
                    print 'MAIN: Querying Twitter API for handle:id pairs...'
                    logger.info('MAIN: Querying Twitter API for handle:id pairs...')
                    # Initiates REST API connection
                    twitter_api = API(auth_handler=auth)
                    failed_handles = []
                    success_handles = []
                    # Loops thru user-given terms list
                    for item in termsList:
                        term = item['term']
                        # If term already has a valid ID, pass
                        if item['id'] is not None:
                            pass
                        # Queries the Twitter API for the ID value of the handle
                        else:
                            try:
                                user = twitter_api.get_user(screen_name=term)
                            except TweepError as tweepy_exception:
                                error_message = tweepy_exception.args[0][0]['message']
                                code = tweepy_exception.args[0][0]['code']
                                # Rate limited for 15 minutes w/ code 88