Sorry for digging this topic up though quite some time has passed, but I just felt the urge to reply...
Honestly checking this discussion made me really nervous as I am a second year MA student, and I never even thought about the possibility that me holding an MA degree could diminish my chances for acceptance.
However, becoming nervous I checked the grad students sections of Yale (Comparative Literature), as Yale was pointed out to be one of the programs known for not accepting students already having an MA. But actually the webpage did not seem to approve this statement, as the number of students with an MA did not strike me as awfully low.
Okay, my research was pretty limited but I allowed myself to draw a conclusion namely that it seems to be the whole application that matters and that having been previously an MA student does not hinder you from entering most of the departments (I cannot speak generally as I lack the necessary knowledge, but I am doing it nevertheless).
And for the likely case that I will be rejected from each of the universities I applied to, this tread will give me consolation, as I then can say: it was not about me, it was my MA
