Upon running python in any dir in my amazon EC2 instance, I get the following printout on first line: Python 2.6.9 (unknown, todays_date). Upon going to /usr/bin and running python27, I get this printout on first line: Python 2.7.9 (default, todays_date). 
This is a problem because the code that I have only works with Python 2.6.9, and it seems as though my default is Python 2.7.9. I have tried the following things to set default to 2.6: 
1) Editing ~/.bashrc and creating an alias for python to point to 2.6
2) Editing ~/.bashrc and exporting the python path
3) Hopelessly scrolling through the /etc folder looking for any kind of file that can reset the default python
What the hell is going on?!?! This might be EC2 specific, but I think my main problem is that upon running /usr/bin/python27 I see that it is default on that first line.
Even upon running python -V, I get Python 2.6. And upon running which python I get /usr/bin/python, but that is not the default that the EC2 instance runs when it attempts to execute my code. I know this because the EC2 prints out Python/2.7.9 in the error log before showing my errors.
Creating an alias in your ~/bashrc is a good approach.
It sounds like you have not run source ~/.bashrc after you have edited it. Make sure to run this command.
Also keep it mind that when you run sudo python your_script.py it will not use your alias (because you are running as the root, not at the ec2-user).
Make sure to not change your default python, it could break several programs in your linux distributions (again, using an alias in your ~/bashrc is good).
Python Default Confusion